The area known as Foys Bend includes several hundred acres of wetlands and riparian forests along the Flathead River, before the river turns east along Lower Valley Road. These beautiful lands along the river provide excellent recreation opportunities for boaters, fishermen and wildlife watchers, as well as outstanding wildlife habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

The riparian area is blanketed by a black cottonwood forest. Cottonwood trees are good indicators of healthy riparian areas and floodplains. There are few mature cottonwood forests left along the Flathead River. These forests provide valuable wildlife habitat for a variety of songbirds. In fact, wetland and riparian habitat provide breeding and nesting areas for 134 (55%) of breeding birds in Montana.

Backwater sloughs

The wetlands in Foys Bend are known as backwater sloughs. These sloughs support large numbers of waterfowl during migration. The wetland and riparian vegetation in this stretch of the river also provides significant winter habitat for bull and westslope cutthroat trout. The wetlands and riparian areas help slow down water flows and keep water temperatures in the river moderate. In the winter, bull trout need areas like this to survive.

The wetlands also provide habitat for white-tailed deer, river otter, beaver, osprey and bald eagles. Osprey need good water clarity for fishing. The University of Montana's Flathead Lake Biological Station is conducting a study on the presence and success of osprey along the river.

The wetlands and riparian forests are important for maintaining clean water in the river and lake. Trees and other plants capture and trap nutrients, sediments, chemical pesticides, and organic waste that run off city streets, lawns, construction sites and agricultural fields. By storing and filtering nutrients and pollutants, these areas reduce the amount of pollutants entering the river, lake and the groundwater. In Flathead County, this is an important service provided by nature, because many people rely on the shallow groundwater aquifer for their drinking and household water.

Like many areas in the valley that are beautiful and close to water, development pressures are high. When possible, development should be located on upland areas, away from wetlands and riparian areas. As Kim Davis, a Kalispell resident, wrote in a January 14, 2003 letter to the editor of the Daily Inter Lake "I personally would hope that we can grow in a manageable way and still maintain the identity, characteristics, and values that have caused long term residents to stay and have attracted new residents." Davis wrote to encourage fellow citizens to participate in the Growth Policy planning process to help shape the future of Flathead County.

Whether it is by participating in land use planning or by practicing stewardship on our own property, we need a collective effort to protect and restore lands critical for clean water, including the wetland and riparian vegetation along rivers and streams. Protecting these areas will help ensure that clean water, fish and wildlife, and the scenic beauty of the area can be enjoyed now and in the future. Constanza von der Pahlen.