Page 58 - Flathead Beacon // 7.23.14

58 | JULY 23, 2014 FLATHEADBEACON.COM
OUTDOORS
BIOLOGISTS ARE MONITORING THE CHANGING CONDITIONS OF FLATHEAD LAKE AND POTENTIAL THREATS, INCLUDING INCREASED RAIL TRAFFIC AND INVASIVE SPECIES
FLATHEAD LAKE’S
EVER-CHANGING IDENTITY
ELLOW BAY — The first time Jack Stanford traveled the shores of Flathead Lake in 1972, he gaped at the translucent ripples.
“I nearly drove into the lake because it was so clear,” he said. “There have been a lot of changes in the lake but it’s nearly as clear today as it was then.”
Looking out at a crowd of nearly 150 lakeshore residents and other interest- ed parties last week, the renowned sci- entist added, with a tone of warning in his voice, “Our well being is closely tied
to the clarity of that water out there.” Over the last five decades, Stanford has grown intimately familiar with the largest freshwater lake west of the Mis- sissippi. As the longtime director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station on the southeast shores of Yellow Bay, Stan- ford has led research efforts with his wife, Bonnie Ellis, and their team of sci- entists who all together are carrying on the legacy of Dr. Morton J. Elrod. A biol- ogy professor at the University of Mon- tana, Elrod founded the field station in
1899, and 115 years later it’s one of the oldest active, and most respected, re- search stations in the U.S.
Flathead Lake – the 79th largest natural freshwater lake in the world, with over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline – continues to evolve amid both natural and man- made influences, Stanford says. It also faces increasing threats to its iconic identity as one of the world’s cleanest lakes, including aquatic invasive spe- cies and increased rail traffic carrying
BY DILLON TABISH • Photography by Greg Lindstrom
Boaters at the Somers access site on Flathead Lake.
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RETAILERS WHO CARRY
DAY HIKES AROUND THE FLATHEAD:
• Rocky Mtn Outfitters 752-2446
• Sportsman Ski Haus 755-6484
• The Book Shelf 756-2665
• Bookworks 862-4980
• Montana Coffee Traders (Columbia Falls and Highway 93 South locations)
1-800-345-5282 •The Toggery 862-2271