Nonprofit provides a voice for Whitefish Lake

Whitefish Lake Institute is not unlike its namesake in that the scientists at the institute are always working, but that work isn’t always seen immediately.

“A lake is calm on the surface, but there is a lot going on underneath,” said Mike Koopal, the institute’s founder and executive director.

Founded 10 years ago, the nonprofit has been gathering data for the last seven years on the Whitefish Lake watershed. The staff is working hard to release its status report of the watershed some time this year.

“This report gives people the breadth of our science work,” added Lori Curtis, science and education director for the institute. “Our education efforts are often visual, but this is the science.”

Koopal said the report “paints a picture for the resource” and provides scientifically-based water quality standards to provide benchmarks for aquatic resources. The institute intends to get public input once the document is released.

“It will identify all the water quality issues in the Whitefish Lake watershed and categorize them into who might be able to address those issues,” Curtis said. “It will give all the resource managers the ability to participate and see what the critical areas are.”

Koopal admits the story of the founding of the institute is less than exciting. He was a partner at Watershed Consulting and was approached by community members who were eager to have someone focus on studying Whitefish Lake.

He took up the challenge to create the nonprofit. In those early days that meant explaining what the institute was about, and the scientist often found himself in the uncomfortable position of fundraising.

“People recognized that the lake needed a voice,” he said. “It was really important for our community because we have such an intimate relationship with the lake.”

Having reached a decade of operation, Koopal says it feels good that the institute is now well-established.

“There is a need for the Whitefish Lake Institute from the community,” he said. “Clean water transcends all political boundaries — everyone wants it.”

The institute has worked on projects outside of Whitefish, but moving forward it wants to continue to strengthen its focus.

“Our intention now is to contract to Whitefish Lake — it doesn’t mean that there aren’t some outside study projects that aren’t important, but we will focus more on the Whitefish watershed.”

The institute became more visible when in 2012 it released results of a study of septic leachate in Whitefish Lake that raised red flags about potential contamination. The city of Whitefish has since been working to find ways to mitigate the issue.

The institute quickly fell into the roll of technical facilitator for the city’s wastewater committee.

“We’re currently seeking active partners to sponsor planing grants to conduct preliminary engineering reports for neighborhood areas to further explore potential fixes,” Koopal said.

The institute is part of a partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Flathead Basin Commission that trains citizen scientists for the Northwest Montana Lakes Volunteer Monitoring Network. The institute trains volunteers to monitor 40 lakes in Flathead, Lincoln, Lake and Missoula counties by collecting basic measurements.

The institute has been involved with aquatic invasive species monitoring and has spent two summers working with the city to perform boat inspections at City Beach.

They also own and manage the 28-acre Averill’s Viking Creek Wetland Preserve off Wisconsin Avenue. In 2013, the institute opened an interpretive nature trail through the wetland with the goal of making it open to the public.

Students in the community are likely familiar with the institute through education outreach programs, such as Whitefish High School’s FREEFLOW club. They often talk in science classes and host adult education groups. Each fall Muldown Elementary second graders make the trip to the institute’s wetland interpretive nature trail and institute staff takes them through various stations to learn about the wetlands.

“We feel good when we bring students to our wetland property and introduce them to something they might not see otherwise,” Curtis said.

Last fall the institute relocated its offices to downtown Whitefish. Now on East First Street near Whitefish Middle School, their new location allows the opportunity for the public to stop in and ask questions.

Koopal said being more visible in the community can only benefit the institute.

“I want Whitefish Lake Institute to live beyond me,” Koopal said. “Because we need a voice for the lake.”