Flathead Lakers Celebrate a Decade of Restoration Success

In October 2025, the Flathead Lakers, together with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), visited three lakeshore and riparian restoration projects that have been quietly thriving for ten years. The goal was to assess their progress and hear directly from the landowners who care for them.

On Flathead Lake, two lakeshore projects from Lakeside to Rocky Point Road showed thriving buffers, even if not every plant survived, that protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat. A landowner delighted in seeing killdeer nesting and fawns born in their buffer. A dynamic equilibrium beach installed at one site replaced a crumbling sea wall with a beautiful shoreline that mitigates large lake waves while providing family enjoyment.

Along Ashley Creek, a half-mile wildlife-friendly fence has created a 30 – 40-foot buffer that keeps cows and nutrients out of the creek, protects banks, and allows native plants to flourish. Trees and shrubs planted using traditional seedlings or large containers, paired with weed mat and mulch, have done particularly well. Experimental techniques, like live staking of cottonwood and willow, had mixed results: cottonwoods didn’t take, but two areas of willows are thriving. Some beavers have felled larger trees, yet many continue to flourish.

These projects were made possible by Montana FWP, the Flathead Conservation District, Flathead Valley Community College, and Big Sky Watershed Corps members hosted by the Lakers. Huge thanks to all who helped plant and care for these buffers! Looking ahead, the Lakers are preparing to expand plantings around a new filtration pond at the Polson Golf Course to further reduce nutrient runoff into Flathead Lake.

Stay tuned for updates and opportunities to learn about, and help with, this exciting project!