The Critical Lands ProjectCritical Lands and Natural Resources (new page) The Critical Lands Project is a science-based project to identify and protect or restore lands and waters critical to the quality of Flathead Lake and its tributaries. The project is a collaborative effort initiated by the Flathead Lakers and involving representatives from federal, state, tribal and local agencies and land conservation organizations.
The goals of the Critical Lands Project are to: (1) Identify, protect and restore lands critical to the quality of Flathead Lake and its tributaries; (2) Build trust, communication and cooperation among various agencies and organizations committed to protecting critical lands, and; (3) Gain grassroots support by informing the public about the importance of conserving and restoring lands critical to the quality of Flathead Lake.
|  The Flathead as seen from the space shuttle Columbia at an altitude of 162 nautical miles at 1509 MDT on 12 August 1989. NASA image STS028-90-018. Larger image (100k, popup), annotated.
The Lakers' webmaster, James Conner, who enhanced the image above, has downloaded and enhanced several more images of Flathead Lake and northwest Montana that were made from the space shuttles. They are available on his personal website. |
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The project was launched in November, 1999 with a workshop attended by resource professionals from tribal, state, federal, and county resource and land management agencies, research scientists, and representatives of conservation organizations. Workshop participants developed and agreed on criteria for defining critical lands, identified initial priority areas, and developed strategies for cooperation. The criteria include importance for protecting water quality, ecological significance, urgency of existing or potential threats, ecological defensibility and durability, community and landowner support for protection, aesthetic/scenic/cultural/historical values, and protection or restoration feasibility.
The North Flathead Valley above Flathead Lake is the initial focus area for the project's conservation and restoration efforts. The lands in this valley contribute the highest nutrient loads to the lake. It is the most densely populated area in the watershed and one of the fastest growing areas in Montana. Priorities for protection include wetlands, vegetated stream and river banks and floodplains which are among the most productive and diverse wildlife habitats as well as the most important areas for maintaining water quality in Flathead Lake. Headwaters in the mountains and wildland areas are vital for water quality and wildlife in the Flathead Watershed. Recharge areas found in Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness and other undisturbed forested lands are largely responsible for the relatively clean water in the rivers and lakes downstream.
This report evaluates lands in the North Flathead Valley that are critical for maintaining water quality, and other values such as wildlife habitat and recreation. Download report (use your browser's download to disk function; right-click on PCs, click-and-hold on Macs).
The Flathead Lakers contracted with the Flathead Lake Biological Station to produce a series of Geographic Information System (GIS) maps of the Flathead River corridor that help describe resources and land uses. Download maps (use your browser's download to disk function; right-click on PCs, click-and-hold on Macs). The maps show: - Land cover for 1990 and 1997
- Depth to water table
- Road density
- Housing density
- Flood Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100 and 500-year floodplain boundaries
- Vulnerable groundwater areas: The 'housing density' map was combined with the 'depth to water table' map to highlight vulnerable groundwater areas outside the sewer districts
- New structural development from 1990 to 1997
- Public lands and conservation easements
- Sewer districts
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The Flathead Lakers hosted a series of Critical Lands Project Workshops to bring together resource management agencies, land conservation organizations, and other interested groups and individuals to develop criteria for critical lands, identify and prioritize critical lands, develop strategies to protect and/or restore critical lands and evaluate project progress.
Several projects are being conducted by various agencies that will help achieve the goals of the Critical Lands Project. The Flathead Lakers and other project participants support these projects where appropriate.
| | - One such project is the Glaciated Wetlands of Northwest Montana Project. The Flathead Land Trust is leading this collaborative effort to protect more than 2,000 acres of wetlands, riparian habitat and surrounding upland areas in the Flathead and Mission valleys through the purchase of conservation easements. These areas lie along the Pacific Flyway and support breeding and nesting habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland-dependent species. These lands also help protect water quality and provide opportunities for fishing, hunting and bird watching.
| | | - The Flathead Lakers are also working with other watershed/landscape projects in the Flathead Watershed. One project is the Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy led by the Flathead Basin Commission, a non-regulatory organization formed by the Montana Legislature in 1983 to monitor and protect water quality in the Flathead.
| | | - Another project is theNorthwest Power Planning Council's Flathead Subbasin Planning project. This effort is locally led by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to help direct Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funding of projects that protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife that have been adversely impacted by the development and operation of the Columbia River federal hydropower system.
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The Flathead Lakers also conduct a number of activities to help inform the public about areas critical for maintaining water quality or pollution threats.
Contact Critical Lands Project Leader Constanza von der Pahlen at (406) 883-1341 or send e-mail to criticallands@flatheadlakers.org.
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