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March 31, 2006
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Welcome
to the newsletter about all things water in Montana!
MONTANA WATER
NEWS will come your way via email every month with fresh news about meetings
and water topics that we hope is of interest to you. If you do not want to receive
this newsletter, please scroll down and follow the directions to unsubscribe.
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| A
Perspective on Flathead Lake Biological Station |
Nyack Field Class
at FLBS. |
Right here in Montana
resides a research facility that is one of the oldest and most respected in the country.
Off Montana Highway 35 between Big Fork and Polson, 90 miles north of Missoula, is
the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station. The FLBS opened in
1901, year round monitoring began in 1977, and the era of director Jack Stanford
began in 1980. Today this station has a full-time staff of 25 employees who conduct
year-round research at multiple sites.
Stanford, a University
of Montana Professor of Ecology, says the main goal of the Station is to “keep the
lake clean and clear.” But focusing on Flathead Lake does not mean the Station is
confined to one area of water research or to one area of the world. According to
Stanford, the Station has ongoing projects in Argentina, Russia, British Columbia,
and Alaska.
While the FLBS has
moved headquarters only once--in 1910 to its current spot on Yellow Bay--the changes
in operation and scope of research are astounding. Stanford says, “When I started
here in 1971 it was a grad student, me, and a professor working on a summer program.
There was no budget then; today the budget is $3.5 million. And we are 85% funded
by competitive grants.”
Studying water quality
and algae composition were always specialties of the Station, and this is now even
more important as the once pristine lake quality declines. Flathead Lake is part
of the “Crown of The Continent Watershed,” which includes the headwaters of the Missouri-Mississippi,
Columbia, and Saskatchewan Rivers. The last hundred years have produced invaluable
long-term data, and results of water-quality studies conducted here in Montana serve
the continent. Current research at the Station goes beyond water quality; topics
such as floodplain bio-complexity and the northern carbon cycle are now in the forefront.
Summer Cabins at
FLBS. |
The future for the
Station seems bright as projects around the world and around Montana keep the staff
busy. “There is much to be done,” says Stanford. He speaks of the need for more programs
promoting agricultural responsibility and careful land stewardship. The Station’s
role will grow as it provides conservation projects and education to the population
of what Stanford describes as the “land between the lakes,” or Kalispell Valley.
This region is where 30% of the nutrient load that compromises Flathead Lake originates.
However, Stanford is quick to defend the Kalispell Valley and says that while the
nutrient load has increased, the community has taken great steps to ban some detergents
and install state-of-the-art nutrient removal systems to curb these growth impacts.
The Station is open
to the public and offers courses through the University of Montana. Visit its website
for details: http://www.umt.edu/flbs. |
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| Produced
Waters Workshop |
It’s
not too late to attend the workshop Energy and Water – How Can We Get Both for
the Price of One? This regional workshop will be held in Fort Collins, Colorado
on April 3 and 4 to explore potential uses for the waters produced from fossil fuel
development, including coal bed methane extraction. Speakers and panelists will examine
the technical, legal and policy challenges involved in converting these produced
waters to beneficial use.
Speakers will include:
Mark Limbaugh, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the
Interior; Lynn Takaichi, Chairman of the Board, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants; Glenn
Porzak, Attorney, Porzak, Browning & Bushong,
LLP; Harold Bergman, Director, William D. Ruckelshaus Institute; and Pat O’Toole,
President, Family Farm Alliance.
An optional half-day
tour on April 6 will take participants to Wellington, Colorado to visit a local produced-water
treatment facility. The two-day workshop is ideal for legislators, energy producers,
water users, water supply planners, government agency staff, researchers, and industry
representatives. It is hosted by the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute.
Complete workshop information and online registration are available at http://www.cwrri.colostate.edu. |
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| 2006
Northwest Water Policy and Law Symposium |
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Bozeman,
Montana will be the setting on September 18 - 20, 2006, for vigorous deliberations
on water policy issues that have become particularly pressing in the Northwestern
states in recent years. You are invited to attend the 2006 Northwest Water Policy
and Law Symposium, a two-day gathering to explore solutions in three areas that challenge
decision-makers: surface-water/ground-water interaction, water infrastructure management,
and conflicting land- and water-use laws. You and your fellow symposium participants
will listen to case studies and problem statements from the experts, then develop
recommendations for state and local policy-makers in the Inland Northwestern United
States.
The symposium will
begin with an evening welcoming reception, dinner and keynote address by Donald Worster,
the Hall Distinguished Professor of American History at the University of Kansas.
An international leader in the field of environmental history, Dr. Worster is the
author of several works including A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley
Powell,
and Rivers of Empire which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. His provocative
presentation will be followed by two days of meetings featuring invited speakers,
panel discussions, and concurrent discussions. Invited speakers include The Honorable
Christine Gregoire, Governor of Washington, and Lawrence Susskind, noted environmental
dispute mediator and professor of urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. The symposium will culminate with facilitated development of a succinct
white paper for broad distribution to Northwestern decision-makers. To enhance opportunities
for interaction, meals will be provided throughout the symposium.
Everyone is welcome
to attend. Those who will benefit most will be state legislators, agency personnel,
water policy experts and attorneys, water scientists and managers, and officials
of local government. The symposium website is http://water.montana.edu/policy. |
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| New
Mountain Prairie Information Website |
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A collaborative effort
among the Big Sky Institute, the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, and
the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, this site contains biological
information organized by geography and by theme. The Mountain Prairie Region is comprised
of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas; issues covered range
from whirling disease to brucelloisis. Please visit http://mpin.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt. |
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| Draft
Geo-Database of Sixth Code Hydrologic Units |
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Montana NRCS is hosting
the public review process for Montana's 6th code watershed delineation in preparation
for verification of these delineations by NRCS. This work is a cooperative effort
between NRIS and Region 1 of the U.S. Forest Service. Please visit http://nris.mt.gov/nsdi/watershed/6threview.html. |
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| Water
Availability for the Western United States: Key Scientific Changes |
By Mark T. Anderson
and Lloyd H. Woosley Jr.
USGS Circular 1261
The complexity of
Western water availability gives rise to a significant role for science. Science
has played a role in support of Western water development from the beginning, and
the role has evolved and changed over time as society's values have changed. In this
report, the role of science is discussed in three phases: (1) development and construction,
(2) consequences and environmental awareness, and (3) sustainability. Go to http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2005/circ1261 to
view and/or download the report. |
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| Proper
Functioning in Stream and Rivers |
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The 2006 Montana Proper
Functioning Condition (PFC) Cadre brochure lists state contacts and briefly describes
the evaluation concept and the utility of hosting a riparian or wetland PFC workshop
in your area. PFC is an outreach of NRCS’s Creeks and Communities concept which seeks
to maintain healthy streams and wetlands through bringing people together to explore
the attributes and processes at work. You can download the brochure at http://water.montana.edu/pdfs/2006_pfc.pdf. |
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| Water Rights in Montana |
The
2006 version of Water Rights in Montana was released last month by the Legislative
Environmental Quality Council. This useful booklet was updated to reflect revised
Montana water statute and rules. Limited additional copies are available from the
EQC, DNRC and Montana Water Center. You can also save your own electronic PDF copy
by downloading it from the Water Center's online library at http://watercenter.montana.edu/lending_library/
BookDetail01.asp?item_id=914. |
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| Governor's
Restoration Forum |
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The Governor's Restoration
Forum will bring conservation, labor, business, scientific, tribal, and community
leaders to Billings, June 8 - 9, 2006, to advance the restoration of natural ecosystems
and advocate for a revitalized federal commitment to funding restoration and reclamation
activities. For more information visit the forum's website at http://www.restoration.mt.gov. |
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So
many meetings, so little time. Take special note of upcoming national and local water
meetings on the Events
Calendar at MONTANA WATER. |
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 River
Short Courses 2006, Nationwide Locations, 2006 Year-round
[INFO]
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Produced
Waters Workshop: Energy and Water – How Can We Get Both for the Price of One?, Fort
Collins, CO, April 4 - 5, 2006
[INFO]
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International
Conference on Hydrology and Management of Forested Wetlands, New Bern, NC, April
8 - 12, 2006
[INFO]
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Water
Summit for Teachers and Students, Paradise Valley, May 1 - 2, 2006
[INFO]
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4th
Annual Slow Sand and Alternative Biological Filtration Conference, Mulhiem an der
Ruhr, Germany, May 3 - 5, 2006
[INFO]
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River
Network Seventh Annual: National River Rally 2006, Bretton Woods, NH, May 5 - 9,
2006
[INFO]
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5th
National Monitoring Conference, San Jose, CA, May 7 - 11, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
GIS Specialty Conference, Houston, TX, May 8 - 10, 2006
[INFO]
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Collaborating
in The Current, Sioux City, NE, May 9 - 12, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
American Fisheries Society Western Division Meeting, Bozeman, May 15 - 19, 2006
[INFO]
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2006
Montana Watersheds Awards Ceremony, Helena, May 16, 2006
[INFO]
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