Good news for the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station at Yellow Bay. The  station announced May 27 that it has exceeded its $1 million goal to match a lake monitoring challenge grant.

The station initiated a three-year campaign in late 2011 to raise a $1 million endowment to match a pledge for its Flathead Lake Research and Monitoring Program. Hundreds of families, foundations and businesses came through with gifts both large and small.

“This incredible generosity will help protect the quality of Flathead Lake’s water for years to come,” station director Jack Stanford said. “Our team of faculty, staff and students gives a heartfelt thanks to the community and everyone who donated and made this possible.”

Scientists at Yellow Bay specialize in ecological research and education with an emphasis on freshwater, particularly Flathead Lake and its watershed. Research and monitoring provide a continuous record of lake conditions needed to understand and protect Flathead Lake and reveal threats before they become problems.

The research program depends almost entirely on grants and gifts. Current projects for which they seek funding include:

• LakeNET, the environmental sensor network around Flathead Lake, which provides real-time weather and water data to Flathead Lake residents and recreationists.

• The development and application of an environmental DNA test for aquatic invasive species. The test will allow researchers to rapidly determine from a water sample whether invasive species have reached Flathead Lake and other water bodies in Montana.

• Continued ecological discovery at the station’s long-term floodplain research site, the Nyack floodplain on the Middle Fork Flathead River.

A video about the Flathead Lake Biological Station can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/1kbi45H. For more information or to make a donation, call Tom Bansak at 406-982-3301 ext. 229 or e-mail [email protected]; call Jack Stanford at 406-982-3301 ext. 236 or e-mail [email protected]; or donate online at http://www2.umt.edu/flbs.