Basin commission could be axed entirely

The Flathead Basin Commission is set to discuss proposed cuts to the state budget at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The cuts could leave the commission without any funding for staff, according to its executive director. The commission will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hungry Horse Ranger District office.

The morning portion of the meeting will focus on the budget cuts being proposed by the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Caryn Miske, executive director of the Flathead Basin Commission, said in a release that the proposal is set to be presented at a legislative finance meeting in Helena on Oct. 5.

“The DNRC proposal will cut 100 percent of the funding currently allocated for FBC staff, potentially rendering the FBC inoperable in the very near future, and would jeopardize the AIS prevention program in the Flathead Basin — which was slated to be expanded in 2018,” she said.

In addition during the Sept. 27 meeting, Mike Koopal, of the Whitefish Lake Institute, will be present the details of the city of Whitefish aquatic invasive species prevention effort which was launched this past summer.

In the afternoon, the FBC will focus on the draft AIS regulations associated with the AIS pilot program to be established under the mandate of HB 622, which was passed during the 2017 legislative session.

The FBC was established by the Montana Legislature in 1983 to protect the water quality of the Flathead River drainage system.

All FBC meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact the FBC at 240-3453.