The Montana Lakes Conference in town

Blue lakes, clean reservoirs, and native trout streams dot Montana’s landscape. Montanans embrace them, visitors enjoy them and folks from outside the state are moving here to live next to them. The Montana Lakes Conference, held every four years, will assemble scientists, policy

makers, citizens and business owners to offer solutions to challenges facing Montana Lakes today.

This two and a half day conference is open to everybody and will be held at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Oct. 18 - 20, 2023. Registration is required and tickets can be purchased on the MLC web page.

Over forty Montana lake and aquatic ecology experts, as well as guest speakers from outside of the state, will present cutting edge technology and infuse Montana with new ideas.

Andrew Sansom, who has worked for 50 years in water quality conservation, will open the conference with stories that have sparked communities to come together around water. Jim Elser, Director of the Flathead Biological Station and a nationally renowned lake ecologist, will discuss “Phosphorus, food, and our future.” In a special fisheries session, the energetic Clint Muhlfeld will deliver “Char Wars: Glacier’s Bull Trout Strike Back.”

Other session topics include nutrients affecting Montana lakes, best management practices for living on lakes, water quality at Flathead Lake beaches, using biology to address septic issues, selenium contamination in Lake Koocanusa, changing water quality in northwest Montana lakes, managing native fish, protecting Montana waters from aquatic invasive species, and becoming drought resilient in the face of changing climate.

A pre-conference workshop “Water Conflict Management and Transformation” will be presented by collaborative water resolution experts from Four Worlds Consulting. While we all agree that water is a precious resource, disagreements sometimes arise when we talk about how to care for lakes, streams and reservoirs.

Scientific research may reveal challenges facing our lakes and streams whether it be water shortages, septic leachate, dirty stormwater, or nutrients getting into lakes. Policy makers ask how to protect water resources. Citizens feel the pressure to change. Politicians try to find a balance. Disagreements may arise. In this pre-conference workshop, participants will learn how to find agreement and use this to start discussion on how to resolve disagreements.

This workshop is open to the public and tickets can be purchased separately on the Montana Lakes Conference 2023 web page.Reserve your space today before space runs out! Early Bird Registration ends Aug. 15.

For more information and to view the full speaker agenda at https://whitefishlake.org/mlc-2023-home/.