Flathead Lakers have been guardians of Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake is a jewel. It is the valley’s most distinguishing feature and one of its most valuable assets.
In 1958, a small group of local citizens saw that Flathead Lake needed a champion. The Flathead Lakers became that champion. Today, that small group has become a membership of over 1,500 people who care about clean water and the future of the lake.
Flathead Lake is connected to its nearly six million-acre watershed, an area larger than the state of New Hampshire. Water flows from mountain headwaters in Glacier National Park, British Columbia, and the Flathead Reservation through forests and valleys, cities and farms, to the lake. What we do on the land inevitably is reflected in the quality of our waters. The lake is intimately connected to our communities, to the people who live and work here, to the many visitors who are enthralled by its beauty, to our economy, and to our values.
The Flathead Lakers advocate for the lake and clean water by encouraging responsible stewardship of our lands and waters. This is the first in a series of articles about Flathead Lake and its watershed, and what we all can do to protect this jewel.
We believe protecting water quality starts with education. We provide members, citizens, public officials and students with information they can use to make good decisions about how to use our lands and waters – decisions that will sustain our clean water, our quality of life, and our communities. Through workshops and field trips for adults and children, landowner site visits, publications, presentations, and our web site, the Flathead Lakers work to spread the word about clean water threats and solutions.
We advocate for scientifically-based resource and land use management policies that protect clean water. We partner with agencies, organizations, scientists, and landowners to encourage land and water stewardship and to help implement clean water best management practices.
Over the years, the Lakers:
— promoted a citizen-driven ban on phosphate detergents in Flathead and Lake counties.
— made sure local voices were heard when agencies developed a plan to mitigate the impacts of Kerr Dam
— promoted upgrading sewage treatment plants and septic systems to reduce pollution
— insisted on better management of summer lake levels during droughts
— helped secure funding for water quality monitoring
— spoke out for sound land use and resource management policies that protect clean water
— built a partnership to conserve important wetlands and riparian areas that filter pollutants from stormwater runoff along the Flathead River and the lake's north shore
— educated boaters and others about how to help prevent the introduction of harmful aquatic invaders such as zebra mussels through a volunteer boat inspection and outreach program
— defended Flathead waters from coal mining and coalbed methane proposals upstream in British Columbia.
As we begin the new year, we celebrate the passage and signing of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act – a critical milestone for protecting the transboundary North Fork, headwaters to Flathead Lake. Protecting the North Fork has been a top priority of the Flathead Lakers for over four decades. Along with the other protections put in place on both sides of the international boundary over the past five years, this achievement will leave a legacy of clean water, healthy ecosystems, and lasting quality of life for all to enjoy.
Members and supporters are the heart of the Flathead Lakers and make our work and achievements possible. A place as special as Flathead Lake and its watershed is worth all of our efforts to guard its health and well-being for the future. Together, we can ensure that Flathead Lake remains a sparkling gem in the Crown of the Continent.
For more information please visit our website at www.flatheadlakers.org or give us a call at 883-1346. And watch for our next story in this monthly series on Flathead Lake topics.
–Robin Steinkraus, Flathead Lakers Executive Director