River alliance plans greater outreach this summer

The Flathead Rivers Alliance plans to have much greater outreach to river users on the three forks of the Flathead this coming summer.

The Alliance recently secured about $103,000 in grant funding to operate programs on the rivers, which have been dealing with a host of issues from overcrowding to river etiquette in the past several years.

The Alliance hopes to recruit a host of volunteers to educate the public on the rivers before they head out. They’ll also add a Big Sky Watershed Corps member to help facilitate the program.

The idea of the Alliance is education.

“They’re not policing or authority,” Sheena Pate, coordinator for the Alliance said in a recent interview.

Having said that, they still want to convey a sense of river values, particularly for first-time users.

The Alliance had its first volunteer effort last summer. Volunteers will be asked to work two-to four-hour shifts, and will be provided with coolers and educational materials.

One problem is inexperienced folks going out on sometimes dangerous waters in inner tubes or cheap inflatables. Even a canoe is a poor craft to float some sections of the rivers.

“(Last year) we started recording quite a bit of that,” Pate said.

While tubing down the mainstem Flathead can be a nice summer float, it can spell disaster on more turbulent waters like the Middle Fork in June and early July.

Volunteers will share river conditions and other safety tips, Pate noted. They’ve also received a grant to buy a couple of InReach Satellite communication devices, which can be used to contact emergency services and law enforcement personnel in the event of a rescue or other problem.

The devices work where cell phones don’t.

Volunteers will also collect data on the river use experience from floaters which will be used in the upcoming Comprehensive River Management Plan.

The plan, which is being crafted by the Forest Service, should see final drafts by the end of next summer.

The group has also received a ResourceAdvisory Council grant to make launch sites accessible for people with disabilities or who are in wheelchairs. The bathrooms at some sites will also be upgraded as well.

Partners in the program included Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Flathead Conservation District, guide and outfitter services and others.

The grants came from a variety of sources, including the National Park Foundation, Whitefish Community Foundation, Flathead Rural Advisory Committees, MWCC Watershed Fund, and Flathead National Forest Guides and Outfitters receipt fees.

The program’s inaugural year resulted in over 108 volunteer hours served at pop-up information booths at popular river access sites, coordination of over 80 volunteers on the Three Forks of Flathead during county-wide Flathead Waters Cleanup event, a partner float, and education programming for over 40 river guides.

More information on how to volunteer or donate can be found at https://www.flatheadrivers.org/.