About Us: “We all love this place we call Montana. We believe that land and water and air are not ours to despoil, but ours to steward for future generations.” – Paul Hawks (rancher, Melville, MT). Since 1972, the Northern Plains Resource Council has been committed to organizing Montanans to protect our water quality, family farming and ranching, and our unique quality of life. We fill a unique niche as an environmental group, organizing in Montana’s farm and ranch country to advocate for clean air, clean water, and progressive natural resource policies. Northern Plains brings non-traditional voices into conservation issues. We build bridges between people. “This thriving citizens organization exemplifies the ideal of public involvement in public proc