Flathead Lake Bio Station

ATTENTION COLLEGE STUDENTS: We are looking to add one more Summer Session Assistant for the 2026 summer season at FLBS! SSAs are paid employees who support the FLBS Summer Session instructors and staff with a variety of activities related to logistics and teaching summer field courses around NW Montana, including Glacier National Park. You will help with tasks such as preparing course and orientation materials; safely driving vehicles (SUVs and minivans); assisting with field trips; being responsible for field sampling gear; handling logistics for classes including gathering and packing supplies, and more! For more information, contact FLBS Summer Session Program Manager Hannah Gerhard at [email protected]. 🏔️🌊🌲☀️🔬💧 #summerjob #montana #universityofmontana

Honk if you love clean water! ☀️💧 It’s gosling season here at the Flathead Lake Biological Station… and we are so here for it 😍 In the first week of May, the Monitoring Montana Waters team launched into the summer season with: 3 watershed groups receiving MMW training 👥 AND 31 water samples collected and sent to our labs for pesticide analysis! 🔍 Good stewardship helps protect moments like this 💙

We are deeply grateful to announce that the FLBS FLARE K-12 Program received meaningful funding from the Whitefish Community Foundation to support the FLARE K-12 Program and aquatic education activities in the Flathead during the Foundation’s annual Community Grant Awards Celebration last month. The evening offered a wonderful opportunity to connect and engage with some of the many truly remarkable organizations and individuals in the Flathead. In total, the Whitefish Community Foundation presented $524,500 in grants and special awards to 79 nonprofit organizations representing projects and programs in Bigfork, Browning, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Evergreen, Kalispell, Libby and Whitefish. Community investment continues to play a vital role in the Bio Station’s ability to train future freshwater scientists. A heartfelt thank you to the generous residents of Whitefish and the Whitefish Community Foundation for their continued support of our FLARE K-12 Program, and to our wonderful FLBS community for the many ways you continue to help us keep our waters clean and blue for generations to come! Since its inception, the FLBS FLARE K-12 Program has engaged over 20,000 K-12 students in Montana with hands-on science education and research activities. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we are excited to announce a new $25,000 matching challenge in support of K-12 education at FLBS, which is made possible entirely through philanthropic funding and grants from our wonderful local community foundations! Visit the FLBS website today to learn how you can double your impact and benefit the future of our waters: https://flbs.umt.edu/support-flbs/ 🏔️🌊🌲🔬🐟🫶💧 #whitefishcommunityfoundation #whitefishmontana #communitycollaboration

The PSPP team had a blast at the Grand Opening of a brand new Pesticide Container Recycling Station in Polson, MT! This granulator is open to the public and grinds up empty chemical containers: -Keeping plastic out of landfills ♻️ -Reducing risk to nearby lakes, rivers, and streams💧 -Supporting safe, responsible pesticide use ✅ -Improving access to agricultural recycling 🌾 For more information on recycling your pesticide containers, please visit Montana Department of Agriculture’s website or @mt_agriculture

In the latest FLBS eNews: Celebrating Monitoring Montana Waters, MARC Returns, and Montana Gears Up for AIS Season!

Another amazing CSKT Mussel Walk at Wayfarers State Park with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Flathead Lakers, Montana Black Dog Services, Montana State Parks and a wonderful group of students from Bigfork Middle School! 🏔️🌊🌲🔬👀💧 #invasivespecies #cleandraindry #montana

Spring has sprung, which means it’s officially CSKT Mussel Walk season in the Flathead Watershed! Students from local Flathead area middle schools are joining educators and volunteers from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, FLBS, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Montana Black Dog Services, and more to learn how to best protect our waters from invasive mussels. These students are gaining hands-on experience as invasive species detectives, utilizing FLBS invasive species classroom curriculum to engage valuable tools and techniques as they scour Flathead Lake’s shorelines for any signs of the insidious invasive mussels. So far, after considerable detective work by these future watershed stewards during the first Mussel Walk at Yellow Bay, we’re happy to report that no signs of invasive mussels have been found. But there’s more work to do—more Mussel Walks are happening today and in the days ahead! As always, we are so grateful for the many partners and collaborators that make these Mussel Walks a reality, and for all who are doing the inspiring and important work needed to sustain our incredible watershed for future generations! 🏔🌲🌊🔬☀️💧 #invasivemussels #musselwalks #confederatedsalishandkootenaitribes

Last month, members of our FLBS team had the honor of taking part in the Flathead County Science Fair in Columbia Falls, MT and the Montana State Science Fair at the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT! Whether serving as science project judges or offering hands-on educational activities to visitors and future scientists alike, being able to meet and interact with the next generation of Montana’s science superheroes is always a truly incredible experience. A tremendous congratulations to all 2026 Flathead County and Montana State Science Fair participants. We can’t wait to see what innovative solutions you develop for our real-world challenges in the months and years ahead! 🏔️🌊🌲🔬💧 #montana #science #sciencefair

Swipe to learn more about the Montana Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program, one of two water quality monitoring programs at @umflbs led by Dr. Rachel Malison 🚰🏠💧🌾🔬🚜

Swipe to learn more about Monitoring Montana Waters, one of two water quality monitoring programs at @umflbs led by Dr. Rachel Malison 💧🔬🛶🐟🏊🏻‍♀️🌱

There are classroom settings, and then there are classroom settings… Visit the FLBS Summer website via the link in our bio or using the link below to learn how you can join in on an immersive and fun-filled summer of immersive education, world-class professional development, lifelong friendships with fellow students from all over the country, and more! Deadline to apply: May 16, 2026 Apply today: https://flbs.umt.edu/apps/education/default.aspx 🏔️🌊🌲🔬💧 #college #summer #universityofmontana

FLBS is in Vision! Check out the latest edition of Vision Magazine for the full story on our very own Water Wizard, FLBS Assistant Research Professor Rachel Malison, and a special guest appearance by our upcoming 2026 FLBS Ted Smith Environmental Storytelling Intern Vivi Ostheimer! You can find Vision Magazine in print at UM, or online via the link in our bio or at /vision-magazine-2026 Vision is the official magazine of research and creative scholarship for the University of Montana, and is published annually by the University of Montana Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship and Marketing and Communications. 🏔️🌊🌲👀💧 #universityofmontana #research #innovation