Finding my place in the cool, clean waters

My tenure as the new Executive Director of the Flathead Lakers began near the end of a hot, busy July. A family emergency derailed my initial start date and forced me to begin during one of the busiest weeks of the year for our organization. Just seven business days into my new job I was speaking in front of a crowd of 140 Flathead Lakers members and delaying the start of a fantastic set by Rob Quist and his band. The feeling of being out in the deep part of the lake without a life jacket was setting in quickly. Who was I and what did I really know about defending the Flathead Watershed? 

Whatever waves of self-doubt were beginning to well up inside of me were soon pacified as dozens upon dozens of Lakers supporters raised their paddles to indicate they would be making donations that evening at amounts from $250 to $2500. The steadfast commitment to protecting and defending the Flathead that was demonstrated during our Summer Soirée had me feeling something other than doubtful or apprehensive. The feeling was simple, yet profound gratitude for the amazing supporters of the Flathead Lakers and for my own good fortune of being selected to lead this incredible organization for years to come. 

After all, why shouldn’t I be here? I attended college at Portland State University earning two bachelor’s degrees in Community Development and Social Science. I worked in public lands conservation for the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. I led programs at three nonprofit organizations focused on public land management. I’ve been the Executive Director of three nonprofit organizations and I serve on the board of two other organizations. While that all adds up to a long resume, it lacks a key component needed for success in defending the Flathead. 

That component is love for this place. It's hard to quantify love for any place but when it comes to Flathead I believe it is something I possess. Growing up in Miles City, MT our visits to the Flathead were bookended by 10 hour drives which meant I only got to enjoy this special part of the world every few years, but even as a bored kid in the back seat of the family car I was amazed by the scenery in places like the east shore highway or the Mission Mountains from the Bison Range. It felt like a different world than my home in eastern Montana. 

After college I found myself back in Montana more often and I finally had more time on my hands. During off days from my job at Yellowstone National Park, I began visiting family that owned property in Proctor. I helped them work on the family cabin and was rewarded with refreshing swims in the lake on hot summer evenings. Later, after working at Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, I spent months alone fixing fences and felling timber, with trips to the Idle Spur in Dayton as my only opportunity to interact with other people. 

It wasn’t until I once again returned to Montana after leading high altitude trail construction programs in Colorado that I was finally able to visit Flathead more frequently, yet still not quite enough. My home in Missoula served as a nice place to store my things but I found myself always on the road for work or making the drive up US 93 for another visit. A few years later, my uncle decided to finally tear down the pack rat infested cabin he owned on the lake in Rollins and build something his family members would be willing to sleep in. As it frequently happens, the nearest family member gets appointed to be the caretaker of the family’s cabin and my presence in Western Montana meant I got that role without even having to apply. My visits to the area and my appreciation for the amazing quality of life this watershed had to offer only grew as my duties as caretaker expanded. 

Eventually, my wife and I decided that it was time to get out from behind the fuel trucks and RVs plodding up and down the highway and find ourselves an abode closer to the place we seemed to be constantly trying to get to. Just before the housing market went completely bananas, we found ourselves a lovely home just south of Polson where the deer and foxes frequently enjoy the patio and our untrainable dogs could have some room to stretch their legs. For the first few years, I worked from my home and sometimes felt isolated in our new home. However, in my role as Executive Director of another organization, I soon found other nonprofit leaders working in the Polson area that were eager to make connections, share information, and an occasional bottle of wine. Those folks helped introduce me to so many great people here and I can’t thank them enough. 

Now I have the opportunity to help shape the future of this organization and defend the liquid assets that make this place so special. I harbor no illusions that it will always be easy and that the challenges will be simple to understand and resolve but I know that because I have grown to love and respect this place, I will have the fortitude to defend it. I also know that I don’t have to do it alone. Like the community of friends that have welcomed me to town, the board of directors and the staff of the Flathead Lakers are amazing people who want to help see this organization succeed. 

That leaves just one missing piece to this puzzle. You. The members and supporters of the Flathead Lakers. There has never been a better or more important time to be a member of the Flathead Lakers. The threats to water quality that could remove Flathead from the top 3% of cleanest lakes in the world include Aquatic Invasive Species, Septic Leachate, erosion and pollution remain palpable. The rapid growth of both the Flathead and Mission Valleys continues to strain our infrastructure and push development toward sensitive habitats. 

However, thanks to the leadership of our Board of Directors and the skill and experience of our amazing staff, the Flathead Lakers have never been better suited to address those threats and build on our recent and historic successes like helping secure permanent conservation easements at Owen Sowerwine and Badrock Canyon or publishing our Living in Flathead guide to provide an introduction and an invitation to responsible land and water stewardship which you can find on our website or at livinginflathead.org. 

I encourage you to act locally to support your watershed. With so much attention being given to national politics and crises overseas, it can be easy to forget about the causes at home that matter too. Yet the old adage of getting your own house in order before worrying about someone else’s applies here too. Let's make sure that the Flathead Lakers have the resources and support they need to continue the work of defending the watershed and being the voice for the voiceless waters and ecosystems of this region now and in the future. Renew your membership today and tell your neighbors about why they should become members too. 

Stop by the office in Polson and say hello. I’d love to meet you all in person. 

Sincerely,

Coby Gierke

Executive Director

Flathead Lakers