The Whitefish Lake Institute conducts scientific research for the community and resource managers to enable them to make informed decisions in the Whitefish Lake watershed and beyond.

SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Science Advisory Committee (SAC) provides scientific and technical guidance to WLI, focusing on WLI's efforts to conduct research that results in useful data for the community and resource management decision makers in the Whitefish Lake Watershed and beyond. See who is on the Science Advisory Committee.

BASELINE MONITORING
WLI has developed data collection parameters, obtained data collection equipment, and increased the level of scientific research on Whitefish Lake and its tributaries. Because most pollutants and water chemistry changes are invisible to the naked eye, we cannot evaluate water quality solely by visual inspection. Similarly, because water chemistries and conditions change seasonally and annually, we cannot understand overall lake dynamics by monitoring it for a year or two. It requires that specific measurements be evaluated in respect to one another over time to gain a holistic understanding of the resource.

WLI has been typically collecting baseline data at two permanent sites on Whitefish Lake and on its tributaries since 2007. Data collection typically starts in April and runs through November. Data is collected on five of the lake's tributaries; Hellroaring Creek, Lazy Creek, Smith Creek, Swift Creek, and Viking Creek. We also conduct annual samplings of Whitefish Lake for Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) such as Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra and quagga mussels. Now that we have collected several consecutive years of data, WLI is in the process of analyzing the information for our first report on Whitefish Lake water quality—due out in the first half of 2012.

WEATHER STATION

WLI installed and maintains a Weather Station near Lazy Bay from which we collect wet and dry precipitation and other atmospheric data. Click here to see up-to-date weather.

            

SPECIAL PROJECTS
WLI takes on special projects based on the recommendations of the community and the need for scientific information. Since 2005, we have conducted research for special projects on Whitefish Lake, Tally Lake, Swan Lake, and Blanchard Lake. This work is typically funded by research grants or through programmatic partnerships.

Here are some of our special projects:

Investigation of Septic Leachate to the Littoral Areas of Whitefish Lake
In 2011, we conducted the Investigation of Septic Leachate to the Littoral Areas of Whitefish Lake. In this study, we used a number of parameters including fluorometry, E. coli, and DNA testing, to research potential septic leachate contamination to the littoral (shoreline) areas ofWhitefish Lake. The results of this study will be made available in early 2012.

 

Gasoline Constituent Loading and Motorized Watercraft Use Levels in Whitefish Lake
WLI conducted a gasoline constituent loading study in 2005 designed to answer the question: Is there a public health risk for people swimming at City Beach due to gasoline constituent loading from motorized watercraft? With the City's Boat Launch located adjacent to the beach, WLI wanted to analyze the levels of BTEX (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene), agents known to cause myriad health problems from cancer and birth defects to nervous system, liver and kidney damage. Results showed elevated benzene levels at the City Beach site which did not correlate with motorized watercraft levels. It is suspected that when boat owners pull their transom plug on the boat ramp, petroleum effluent enters the lake. WLI recommended to the Whitefish City Council the installation of a catchment system to collect the effluent. The city council approved initial financing for the project.

Lake Usage Data
WLI developed and completed a survey detailing how the children of Whitefish use Whitefish Lake as a recreational resource. WLI surveyed children in grades 4, 8, and 11. With the support of Whitefish Public Schools, WLI achieved a 90% respondent rate of total enrollment. The survey found that 89% of respondents recreated in the lake that year. While fishing was not of great interest to the kids, 87% of them swam in the lake. Of the 87% that swam in the lake, 29% claim to have swam twenty days or more. This social survey provided additional data to support the installation of a grate/catchment system at City Beach.

Tally Lake
Tally Lake is the deepest lake in Montana and regionally unique due to its morphometric(size and shape) attributes and chemical input (humic matter) from Star Meadows. Those factors, among others, lead to a severe depletion of dissolved oxygen at depth throughout the calendar year. WLI is the first to monitor Tally Lake from the surface to bottom (445 feet). In 2008, a preliminary study was funded by Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). From 2009 to 2011work continued via a US Forest Service Resource Advisory Committee grant. Two sampling locations on Tally Lake have been established as well as a site on Logan Creek. The project includes monitoring for Eurasian watermilfoil and mussels.

click to view the Tally Lake
3-D animation

Swan Lake
WLI conducted sampling on Swan Lake for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in 2009. WLI also donated time to collect Hydrolab data and submitted that data to the Swan Ecosystem Center. Work continued in 2010 and 2011 via a combination of contracts with the Swan Lakers, Kootenai Lodge Estates and the Swan Ecosystem Center. WLI has provided a summary report and has presented information at two Swan Lakers Annual Meetings

Blanchard Lake
Blanchard Lake is a warm water lake located about 2 miles south of Whitefish. The lake has relatively shallow depths, and no inflow or outflow of fresh water. Blanchard is broadly vegetated and supports several warm water fish and other aquatic species. WLI maintains two monitoring sites on the lake, where water quality monitoring parameters are collected using a Hydrolab DS5 Sonde. Water chemistry samples are also collected once annually as part of the NWMTLVMN program. Reporting on lake water quality is made to the Friends of Blanchard Lake, a group dedicated to protecting the water quality and natural resources of the lake and its surrounding area.

NORTHWEST MONTANA LAKES VOLUNTEER MONITORING NETWORK In 2010, WLI entered into a partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Flathead Basin Commission to form the Northwest Montana Lakes Volunteer Monitoring Network (NWMTLVMN). Through this program, we train "citizen scientists" to monitor 40 lakes in Flathead, Lincoln, Lake, and Missoula Counties by collecting basic limnological measurements that will establish lake trend data over time, and to monitor for the presence of AIS. Many of these lakes previously had no scientific data. The partnership enables WLI to extend its monitoring reach through volunteer efforts, while involving community members in understanding and protecting their natural resources. NWMTLVMN developed a website www.nwmtlvmn.org through which volunteers can access information, report their data, and stay abreast of AIS issues. Volunteers contributed nearly 800 hours to NWMTLVMN in 2011. Link to Northwest Montana Lakes Volunteer Montioring Network for more information.

 

AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES
Aquatic Invasive Species infestations are a serious and growing problem across the country, particularly where there is a concentration of waterways. We all need to be on the lookout for AIS invasions. We can each contribute to increasing the awareness of AIS issues and sharing in the responsibility for controlling their spread. WLI includes monitoring for AIS during our regular visits to water bodies in our areaby using rakes in vegetation to look for Eurasian watermilfoil and collecting plankton samples to look for mussels. See all the organizations who are partnering on the Aquatic Invasvie Species efforts.

 

Learn more about

For more photos on Aquatic Invasive Species, go to the Northwest Montana Lakes Volunteer Monitoring Network website.