2026 Events

Elk numbers in the Flathead’s South Fork has been a topic of interest for generations. Today, elk numbers are at lows not seen in almost a century. The general perception of those with a history hunting the area is that predators are the root cause of this decline. At the same time, the legacy of past forest management, including harvest history, fire suppression, Wilderness designation, and now, recent large-scale wildfires, have resulted in habitat changes that affect forage quality and quantity, and thermal cover in winter. To inform management, Montana FWP recently initiated a collaring effort to evaluate habitat use, movement, fecundity, and survival of cow elk. Franz will share information from the first years of this study and discuss factors influencing elk numbers in the South Fork drainage.

Franz has worked in natural resources for more than 20 years, having earned a master’s degree emphasizing wildlife management from the University of Wyoming. He’s worked with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks since 2016 and currently serves as the Kalispell area wildlife biologist. Franz’s scope covers wildlife management efforts across the greater Flathead Valley area, including a large portion of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

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Did you ever wonder when most fire lookouts were built, how does a lookout spot and report a fire, what is it like to staff a lookout, are lookouts safe in a lightning storm or how are historic lookouts maintained and restored?  Here’s your chance to learn that and more.

Did you miss Kira Powell’s presentation at the Northwest Montana History Museum in February?   Here’s your opportunity to see a repeat performance.

Kira relocated from the Cabinet Mountains to the Swan Range in 2022 and now lives in the Flathead Valley. After an unforgettable volunteer trip to the Stahl Peak Lookout, she joined the board of the Northwest Montana Lookout Association

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Join us for an engaging evening exploring the past, present, and future of the Flathead River system through the lens of fisheries science, collaboration, and conservation.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries biologist Leo Rosenthal opens the program with an overview of the Three Forks watershed, highlighting long-term trends, monitoring efforts, and what the data tells us about two of the Flathead’s iconic native trout: bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.

Following the science, Sheena Pate, Executive Director of Flathead Rivers Alliance, will connect the dots between data and action. Sheena will spotlight collaborative partnerships across the Three Forks, current threats and conservation trends, and the upcoming the 50th Anniversary of the Flathead Wild & Scenic River designation in 2026.

Together, Leo and Sheena bring complementary perspectives – agency science and nonprofit collaboration – offering a powerful picture of how fisheries management, community engagement, and river advocacy intersect.

Leo Rosenthal has been the Flathead East Fisheries Management Biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for the past 19 years. Originally from the mining city of Butte, America, Leo received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Montana in 1997 and an M.S. In Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University in 2007. Leo’s management area includes the Swan River, and South and Middle Forks of the Flathead River. 

Sheena Pate is the Executive Director of Flathead Rivers Alliance, where she leads collaborative efforts to steward and protect the 219+ mile Flathead Wild & Scenic River system. With over 20 years of experience as a hydrologist, communications specialist, and watershed project coordinator in Montana and Colorado, she brings both scientific expertise and a passion for public engagement to her work. A lifelong river enthusiast, Sheena believes awareness is a critical first step toward lasting conservation. She holds degrees from the University of Montana and Colorado State University and can often be found on the river with her family.  

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Kick off the 50th Anniversary of the Flathead Wild & Scenic River designation with a talk by American Rivers’ Northern Rockies Dam Removal Specialist Rachel Schmidt, discussing the history and significance of some of our favorite Wild & Scenic river systems.

Rachel is a Montana born river rat residing in Whitefish. She has a long career in outdoor recreation industries including experiential recreation in the ski, raft and fly fish categories; sales, marketing and product development with one of the world’s largest firearms manufactures; and development and leadership in public lands, hunting and fishing conservation. She had the honor of serving the people of Montana by creating and directing the Montana Governor’s Office of Outdoor Recreation through the Bullock administration.

Rachel currently works with broad stakeholders, government agencies and Tribal Nations to expand river restoration efforts in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. When not recreating outdoors, Rachel spends a great deal of her time volunteering for the boards of conservation and recreation organizations as well as teaching hunters’ education and championing the future of hunting in Montana.

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How many lookout towers are in the Flathead National Forest? How many are on the National Historic Lookout Register? Are lookouts still in use?

If you’ve hiked up a mountain ridge, you may well know the feeling of surprise to encounter a glass-sided building perched several miles up a trail. Maybe you’ve wondered, while enjoying the view, when and how these structures were built and how they are maintained. Maybe you’ve been curious about the remote square structures surrounded by deep forests and cliffs, with expansive and breathtaking views on all sides, and who gets to call them home for the summer.

The Northwest Montana Lookout Association can help slake this curiosity, even without a strenuous hike.

Powell’s presentation on fire lookouts will share the history of our local forest lookouts, what it takes to maintain them, and the role lookouts continue to play in firefighting efforts.

About the presenter: Kira Powell works in public relations in the natural resources field. She spends her free time outdoors and aspires to hike every trail in the Flathead National Forest. She also has a keen interest in the history of fire management, which makes fire lookouts a delightful blend of two passions. In 2022, Powell traded the Cabinet Mountains for the Swan Range and now calls the Flathead Valley home. She had such a blast on a trip up to Stahl Peak lookout with a volunteer crew that she joined the board of the Northwest Montana Lookout Association.

All John White Series talks are followed by social time in Hollensteiner-Stahl Hall.

Discover more events in the 2026 John White Speaker Series at the Northwest Montana History Museum. (https://www.flatheadtickets.com/organizations/northwest-montana-history-museum)

WANT TO ATTEND ALL 4 PRESENTATIONS? PURCHASE A TICKET PACKAGE (https://www.flatheadtickets.com/organizations/northwest-montana-history-museum/packages)