Research Vessel for Flathead Lake Biological Station

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The Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS) was established in 1896 for research and education in the field sciences. Located on the largest freshwater lake in the western United States (outside of Alaska), FLBS has a year-round research program emphasizing limnology and stream ecology. A state-of- the-art freshwater research laboratory provides the instrumental basis for a varied aquatic research program in the largely pristine environments of northwestern Montana. Research on Flathead Lake has led to a ten-year data base that is fully computerized. Recent efforts in simulation modeling have helped identify priority research topics at FLBS for the next five years, including investigations of suspended sediment/microbial relationships in phosphorus cycling, ecosystem-level effects of accelerated nutrient loading, effects of stream- and lake-level regulation on primary productivity, and changes in lake trophic relationships caused by the recent introduction of an exotic arthropod into the lake. These studies require acquisition of a reasonably large and fully instrumented research vessel. The largest vessel currently available at the station is a 16-foot research boat which, due to safety considerations, can only be used during calm weather. This project will provide funds for the purchase of a 26 ft, diesel-powered research vessel and for shipboard equipment. These funds will be matched by $45,000 in new equipment by the University of Montana.