Flathead Lakers executive director Robin Steinkraus presented the group’s 2014 Stewardship Award to freshwater ecologist Bonnie Ellis during the Flathead Lakers’ annual meeting.

The award is given annually to an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to protecting the quality and beauty of Flathead Lake.

For more than 30 years, Ellis has played a major role in the Flathead Lake Biological Station’s research and lake monitoring programs, which provide information about the lake’s physical, chemical and biological components and how the lake is affected by changes in its watershed.

That information, Steinkraus said, is vital for making good management, policy and conservation decisions to protect Flathead Lake.

“Bonnie’s work continues to be essential to understanding Flathead Lake and its connected river system,” Steinkraus said. “And it continues to provide the foundation for the Flathead Lakers education, advocacy and conservation work. We owe much of our organization’s success to Bonnie.