Flathead River News: Spring Celebrations, Volunteer Opportunities, & Events

Spring is here and it’s time to sort and clean gear for all things river! We feel like we could burst in the best of ways with all the things happening now and those we have yet to announce. It really takes a community to make magic happen and you always rise to the occasion.

HAVE YOU HEARD

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for weekly updates on river access site conditions.
AIS Inspection Stations are officially opening, so if you’re traveling in and out of the Flathead Basin or into Glacier you’ll need an inspection for your watercraft. Always Clean. Drain. Dry to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Mark Beckwith, a former board member and retired Columbia Falls school shop teacher, has been busily building two permanent loaner life jacket stations that will be installed at West Glacier River Access and Glacier View River Access this spring when the ground thaws. Building materials were funded through Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Round Up for Safety Grant. Learn more about the project HERE. Stay tuned as we’ll be recruiting a couple of volunteers to help us with installation soon.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, April 26th 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM is Community Benefit Day at Backslope Brewing! Treat yourself to lunch, dinner, or just a beverage and a portion of the proceeds will go towards Flathead Rivers Alliance. Funding will help support upcoming projects and programs. Learn more HERE.

Learn the ins and outs of Wild and Scenic River management plans from regional and local experts. Don't miss your opportunity to ask questions about river management plan mechanisms and process ahead of the Three Forks of the Flathead CRMP draft release. Public participation portion of the river management plan process only happens every fifteen to twenty years. Register for live webinar directly HERE.

Can’t attend virtually? You can register to receive a video recording and submit your questions ahead of webinar via email. For more event information visit HERE.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM TRAININGS
Hosted @ Glacier Outdoor Center
April 12th 6:00-8:00 PM (MST) RSVP HERE
April 14thth 6:00-8:00 PM (MST) RSVP HERE

We're expanding our River Ambassador program and piloting a River Recreation Monitoring/Citizen Scientist program this year. You make the success of our programs possible. Please RSVP to confirm which program training(s) you will be attending and food preference. More information on volunteer opportunities HERE.

April 13th at 7 PM (MST) FREE virtual screening of “Drop - Water Connects Us All” followed by panelist discussion. It follows a single drop of water on its journey from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way the film uncovers the truth; that from a single drop, we are all connected and how changes to the climate may derail that journey with massive consequences. Register HERE.

River Ambassador Program Training
April 12th, 2022
6:00-8:00 pm
Glacier Outdoor Center, West Glacier, MT

Do you love connecting with people and spending time at the river? Join our River Ambassador team and serve as liaisons with the public at popular river access sites along the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River. Learn more HERE or RSVP HERE.

River Recreation Monitoring/Citizen Scientist Program Training
April 14th, 2022
6:00-8:00 pm
Glacier Outdoor Center, West Glacier, MT

Did you know you can make an impact while floating the rivers? Volunteers are trained to conduct monitoring using a Survey 123 mobile data collection app. This tool allows trained volunteers to serve as citizen scientists who collect river user, wildlife, and invasive species data as they float the river. Learn more HERE or RSVP HERE.

Family Forestry Expo Volunteers

Are you interested in leading a 5th grade class to their different stations or helping at a fisheries or riparian station during the annual Family Forestry Expo? They are seeking volunteers May 2nd-6th for two time periods – 9am to 1:30pm; and 10am to 2:30pm.

Additional information about volunteer opportunities, contact Teresa Wenum with The Forest Service - Flathead National Forest at teresa.wenum@usda.gov.

Whitefish Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on fostering philanthropy, building endowments and helping donors benefit our community. Their work makes the Great Fish Community Challenge and Community Grants possible.

They awarded Flathead Rivers Alliance a 2021 Community Grant that helped jumpstart our ability to distribute education and outreach materials for the 2021 and 2022 river seasons!

We can’t thank our river community, partners, volunteers, donors, and sponsors enough for showing us so much support! Interested in becoming a 2022 Sponsor? Email info@flatheadrivers.org to learn how.

EXPLORE WEBSITE