State officials initiated a groundwater study more than 30 years ago to address a lack of data after years of intense drought and fires. But Sheridan County was even further ahead of the game. The local conservation district started studying its groundwater in 1978. Today, the district’s unique aquifer-monitoring program enables irrigation systems that support a multitude of users and the health of the Clear Lake Aquifer.
Author Archives: Keely Larson
Keely Larson is a writer based in Missoula. Originally from Helena, Keely started her journalism career at two weeklies in southwest Montana, The Madisonian and the Lone Peak Lookout. Keely was Montana Free Press’ Summer 2022 fire reporting intern and covered Montana’s 2023 Legislature for KFF Health News and the UM Legislative News Service. Keely is a graduate of the University of Montana’s Environmental and Natural Resources Graduate Program and her work has appeared in The New Republic, Ars Technica and Outside Business Journal.
