Research station director Jack Stanford hands over reins of biological station

The introduction of Jack Stanford at the annual Flathead Lakers meeting last week was met with a standing ovation.

Stanford is retiring from his position as director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station after 44 years at the station and 36 years as the director.

Last Tuesday night marked the last State of the Lake Address Stanford would give in his official capacity as bio-station director. Stanford came to the Flathead Lake Biological Station in 1972. In his address he noted some changes that have happened in the lake during that time, and touted the extensive data the station has gathered. He also noted, that despite those changes, Flathead Lake is still a remarkable water body. “The thing that stunned me when I drove up the east shore all those years ago, was how clean the water was,” Stanford said. “It still stuns me.”

Stanford said Flathead Lake is very clean and a lot of that is from proactive intervention as well as having designated wilderness areas around the Flathead Basin headwaters.

It also helps that Flathead Lake flushes, more frequently than other lakes of its size.

However, to continue to keep it clean, Stanford said, will require diligence.

Stanford spoke about the crude oil being transported from the Bakken in North Dakota, across Montana by rail. The rail line goes along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and Stanford said if a spill were to occur, it would be disastrous. He said he understood the Bakken provides lots of jobs, and that even he drives a car that uses oil, but said it is something to be aware of, and proactive about.

He advocated a partnership with the Burlington Northern Railroad to come up with an action plan in case a spill were to occur.

“If five or 10 of these cars went off and spilled in the Middle Fork, there would be such a catastrophe they’d probably have to shut the Bakken down,” he said. “Let’s get some conversation going with Burlington Northern.”

While he also cited victories in conservation this year, such as the North Fork Protection Act, Stanford reminded the audience that the work is far from over.

“Folks, we need metals for all of the things we use,” Stanford said. “There’s going to be a constant battle about where we can go get them and where we shouldn’t go get them.”

Stanford also encouraged continued diligence in the watch for aquatic invaders. Stanford showed pictures of other lakes that had been affected by invasive species such as quagga mussels.  

At the heart of the major changes Stanford observed in the lake during his tenure are the mysis shrimp.

“There’s always something interesting going on in this lake and the mysis seem to be in the center of it,” he said.

Mysis shrimp, a small freshwater shrimp, were introduced into the Flathead basin in the 1980s, and completely changed the food web in the lake. While bull trout once dominated the waters, now it is the lake trout.

The Flathead Lakers’ annual meeting focused on what people can do to help protect the water quality in Flathead Lake. Andrew Beltz and Aaron Clausen talked about the importance of riparian buffers and how they are the best practice for protecting water quality starting from the shoreline.

Beltz, a native-plant expert, showed images from Google Earth that illustrated how much more development there now is around Flathead Lake. Move development means more pollutants in run off, Beltz said.

Landscaping, lawns and roadways are a few of the things development brings that put more pollutants in runoff.

Lawns have shallow root systems, and compact soil that cause more water to runoff into the lake. Many seawalls eventually crumble and fall apart, and aren’t actually the best method for preventing erosion.

Beltz said that putting a riparian buffer along the shoreline can help reduce both pollutants in runoff as well as erosion.

Riparian buffers help trap runoff sediment and slow down runoff, giving it more time to absorb into the soil. Native grasses have longer root systems that will absorb more of the water, and the plants help reduce erosion by binding the shoreline soil together.

STEWARDSHIP AWARD

Bob and Betty Moore received the Flathead Lakers’ annual Stewardship Award for installing a demonstration lakeshore buffer and riparian area at their home. Phosphorus and nitrogen contribute to algae growth, the presence and trends of both those nutrients in the lake have been carefully tracked by the biological station. Stanford said, working to keep phosphorus and nitrogen is also important.

“If you want the lake to stay clean and clear, keep those things out,” he said.

Stanford’s time as director will end Dec. 1, when new director Jim Elser will take over. Stanford will remain as the acting director until March, when Elser will take up residence at the Flathead Lake Biological Station.

Stanford said the biggest focus in the transition should be on station funding.

“The bio-station exists mostly on soft money. That means grants and contracts,” Stanford said in an earlier interview with the Eagle. “In order for things not come to a screeching halt, we have to work on transitioning funding that I’ve been generating to something he can overtake.”

Stanford described the station as being revitalized in the past five years, adding everything is either is new or remodeled.

“The nice thing about the station and the timing of his arrival is that the facilities are in great shape,” Stanford said.

 Stanford plans to keep a station presence as an emeritus professor. His larger goal is to help the first nations in British Columbia deal with their water and wildlife problems. Those activities will focus on conservation on the Skeena River as well as salmon and river conservation around the Pacific Ocean.

Stanford does hope to have more time for recreation, particularly skiing and fishing. “I’ve been at the biological station so long, it’s hard to think of doing anything else. I’m learning,” he laughed.

Stanford is proud of the title he’s leaving behind. He said the Flathead Lake Biological Station is at its biggest point in the last decade and that it’s grown into a good and widespread reputation.

“That’s just the maturation of the legacy of the bio-station around the lake,” Stanford said.