Unbridled Education:
FLARE K-12 Program Opens Nyack Floodplain to High School Students
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Since the 1980s, Bio Station researchers have been investigating the Nyack floodplain along the Middle Fork Flathead River. As a result, the decades of consistent study in this remote area advanced the scientific understanding of how rivers function and made the Nyack one of the most studied floodplains in the world. Now, thanks to the collaboration between our Flathead Lake Aquatic Research and Education (FLARE) K-12 program and a field ecology class from Columbia Falls High School, a new generation of investigators have added their names to the scientific legacy of one of the most biologically intact floodplains in the world.
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The field trip took place in mid-September, on a portion of the Nyack made available to the Bio Station by a generous local family, where the Middle Fork Flathead River runs along the southern edge of Glacier National Park. It was a chilly morning, cloud-covered and rainy, but the students didn’t mind a bit. They threw on their waders, scooped up the kick nets and digital thermometers, and went to work helping us collect insect samples and document stream measurements. FLBS researcher Rachel Malison, one of the Bio Station’s resident Nyack experts, helped guide these future field ecologists, and alongside FLBS educators Holly Church and Monica Elser provided insights and instruction on the Nyack ecosystem throughout the day.
It was a great day of field work, and a fine example of why Montana is such a unique and special place. You can’t ask for a better classroom than this!
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Science on Tap:
University of Montana Archaelogist Kelly Dixon
Tuesday, October 1
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Join us on October 1 in The Cellar at the Flathead Lake Brewing Co. Pubhouse in Bigfork!
We are excited to welcome Dr. Kelly Dixon, archaeology professor in Dept. of Anthropology at the University of Montana. She specializes in western boomtowns and mining camps, Chinese laborers in MT, and has worked with some of Montana’s Native American nations. She has also worked in Glacier National Park.
The presentation will begin at 6 pm, but the Cellar will open for service at 4 pm.
NOTE: Reserve seating is already sold out for this event, but we still have open seating available!
That means we have around 50 seats available on a first come, first serve basis beginning at 4 pm. There will also be food available to order, along with 14 brews on tap and a full bar. From 5 to 8pm the day of Science on Tap, $1.00 of every pint sold will be donated to the Flathead Lakers & the Flathead Lake Biological Station.
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A Day of Appreciation: Flathead Lake Honoring Day Connects Local Students with Culture and Ecology
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The Flathead Lake Honoring Day began at the Blue Bay Campgrounds with opening remarks by representatives from the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
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As always, we had a blast participating in Flathead Lake Honoring Day this year. The annual event is co-sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MTFWP). After beginning the Day with a ceremonial prayer and song, over 100 local high school students took part in educational activities and stations that taught them how to study, manage, and appreciate Flathead Lake.
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For the Bio Station's part, our FLARE K-12 program provided educational stations at Yellow Bay, and gave students hands-on access to our world-class equipment and research. Events like this consistently remind us how fortunate we are to be able to inspire students with science while working with such incredible partners like CSKT and MTFWP. There’s no better way to spend an afternoon than watching future generations find excitement and admiration for Flathead Lake!
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Introducing Cecil Howell:
The Bio Station's 2019 Open AIR MT Fall Artist-in-Residence
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2019 Open AIR MT Artist-in-Residence Cecil Howell
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Cecil Howell is a designer and artist, whose work is an exploration of the landscape. In 2019, she created her own design studio: Object + Field for a practice that includes landscape architecture, art, and product design. Currently, she works from her studio at the watery edge of New York City, in Brooklyn, NY. Her practices range from mapping, to product design, to landscape architecture. Her work is an exploration of place: how it evolves, how we connect with it, and how we can design it.
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We’re so excited to have Cecil staying with us for the next couple weeks. The way she integrates maps in her art is particularly intriguing, and we can’t wait to see what she creates after engaging with our scientists and research project in the Flathead watershed!
Based out of Missoula, the Open AIR program connects artists with unique environments to promote interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration between the arts and the sciences. It is open to artists working in the visual, writing, or performance arts. Other residency sites include the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, the Moon-Randolph Homestead and Home ReSource in Missoula, and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Cabin.
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FLBS Moment: Flathead Lake Windstorm
Big Arm - 10:32am - September 29
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High winds had Flathead Lake in full effect over the weekend! With sub-freezing temperatures and historic snow rolling across Montana, it was a great weekend to hunker down and process some data.
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