Under a brilliant blue sky, State and Tribal officials lauded the cooperative effort to manage Flathead Lake on Wednesday at the 10th annual Flathead Lake Honoring Day. The event is held each year at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) facilities at Blue Bay along Flathead Lake’s east shore. Speakers included CSKT Natural Resources Director Tom McDonald, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Region One Supervisor Jim Satterfield, members of the CSKT Tribal Council, and members of the Flathead Reservation Fish and Wildlife Board. The event is designed to educate local high school students about the ecology and management of Flathead Lake. Students from Glacier High School, Flathead High School Vo-Ag, Two Eagle River High School, Ronan High School, and Polson High School attended the opening ceremony where they were urged by the speakers to become stewards of Flathead Lake. Students listened to a prayer offered by a Tribal elder and an honor song from a CSKT drum group.
After the opening ceremony, students broke into groups and participated in learning stations at Blue Bay and at the University of Montana Biological Station at Yellow Bay. Presenters touched on fisheries management, the lake’s aquatic community, lake water quality, water and boating safety, and fishing events. As part of the instruction, students handled personal floatation vests, watched fish being “shocked” with electrodes, and watched demonstrations of fish gill nets used to monitor fish levels. At the Biological Station, students learned about lake shoreline dynamics, and observed live zooplankton and aquatic insects.
The 120 students who attended were treated to sack lunches provided by Salish Kootenai College in Pablo. Each student received a Lake Honoring booklet that includes information on the lake’s fisheries and water quality, and a 36-question trivia quiz about Flathead Lake.
The Flathead Lake and River Co-management Plan is nationally recognized as an effective effort between CSKT and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks to manage 28-mile long Flathead Lake. The Plan was signed by the Montana Governor and CSKT Tribal Chairman in 2000, and guides management of the lake through 2010. The plan emphasizes fisheries monitoring, water quality and habitat, education and enforcement, lake access, and fish population management.