Trainings Throughout April and the Central Montana Resource Council Hosted a 2nd Annual “Thank You Lunch”

The month of April was full of water monitoring training events for four of our Monitoring Montana Waters groups: the Yaak Valley Forest Council, the Bitterroot River Protection Association, the Clearwater Resource Council, and the Flathead Lakers. During each training session we discussed how to fill out a Chain of Custody (COC) form, practiced collecting unfiltered and filtered samples, and collected measurements with a YSI probe. We also discussed the differences between blank and a duplicate samples, and practiced collecting a filtered and unfiltered blank sample. For groups collecting measurements with a YSI, we practiced using the YSI and discussed the importance of logging YSI calibrations in a logbook. Many groups had members who were excited to get into the water and came prepared with water shoes! The enthusiasm and passion these groups have for water monitoring is inspiring. Training these groups and reviewing their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) further strengthens the confidence these volunteers have to collect scientifically viable data. 

Outside of trainings, the Central Montana Resource Council (CMRC) hosted its 2nd annual “Thank You Lunch” for the community and landowners on April 11th at the Hobson Town Hall. During this event, hot chili, sweet rolls, and 2025 data on the Ross Fork Water Quality Monitoring were shared! People got to enjoy food, get their hands wet in a “grab sample” demonstration, and learn how the CMRC is monitoring their local watershed. The CMRC shared the 2025 baseline data on the Ross Fork Creek conditions they collected from May to September at five sites. The group also got to share their plans for 2026 and they are looking forward to their training with Monitoring Montana Waters on May 2nd.  

If one of these watershed groups is your local community and you would like to get involved, reach out to callie.nelson@flbs.umt.edu. Our watershed groups are excited to engage with their communities and improve the health of their watersheds!