Open house opens eyes

YELLOW BAY – Flathead Lake has changed a lot since 1899. Ecologically, the introduction of species such as mysis shrimp and lake trout has permanently altered the lake’s food chain from top to bottom. The lake has undergone significant physical changes as well, with Kerr Dam’s construction raising the water level ten feet during the Great Depression. One thing that has remained constant during that time period, however, is the presence of the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS) at Yellow Bay.

Despite its status as such a long-term fixture of the lake, many in the area still don’t know much about the institution. The annual open house held at the station last Thursday sought to remedy that situation by bridging the gap between the facility and curious members of the public. The afternoon-long session informed visitors about both the station’s past as well as ongoing research projects.

“It’s amazing how little some people know about who we are and what we do,” said research scientist Tom Bansak, who, along with other staff members, spent the day showing visitors around the grounds and answering questions.

Those at the open house weren’t confined to the FLBS lakefront grounds, alone. One of the most popular activities offered throughout the afternoon were boat tours out on the lake, piloted by limnology scientist Jim Craft. Those lucky enough to snag a seat got to visit one of the station’s two data-gathering buoys, while listening to Craft’s in-depth commentary about the condition of the lake.

“We’re interested in what’s stimulating algae,” said Craft, who rattled off a long list of variables monitored by the profiler that patrols the length of the cable anchoring the buoy to the lake bottom 370 feet below.

The water at the bottom of the lake is a brisk 39 degrees Fahrenheit - the temperature at which water is most dense - but the surface is a relatively balmy 71 degrees, which is “the warmest the lake has been in several years,” Craft says.

“If you haven’t swam in Flathead Lake because it’s a cold lake, this is your one in ten years,” Craft joked.

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Back on shore, FLBS director John Stanford said the open house helped to satisfy one of the center’s primary goals of initiating outreach to the community. Furthermore, he believes the event helps demonstrate that the station’s work to maintain the quality of lake has a strong residual effect on maintaining the high quality of life enjoyed by those throughout the area. Even after more than four decades of studying the lake with the FLBS, Stanford is still taken by its beauty and ecological health.

“Its water quality is so high and we rarely have issues with pollution algae. But it’s because we have so much water from protected areas,” said Stanford, alluding to the lake’s tributaries stemming from Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and other undisturbed areas.

However pristine, the lake is not without its challenges.

Stanford says that the debate presently simmering over lake trout is one of the most important environmental controversies facing the lake right now.

“We badly need to be able to run our simulation model so that we can advise managers which way to go with that,” said Stanford.

To do so, however, Stanford indicated that the station would first need to secure additional funding.