About Erin

Transboundary Flathead Weblog

Transboundary Flathead

Erin came to the Flathead Lake Biological Station in early 2007 to continue her research on the Transboundary (North Fork) of the Flathead River, within in the context of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. The Transboundary Flathead River is an internationally reknowned watershed shared by British Columbia and Montana. Erin began her work on the Transboundary Flathead in 2000 as a master’s student at the University of Montana, focused on the terrestrial and aquatic impacts of coalbed methane development in the British Columbia portion of the Flathead River.

Erin is under contract with the Flathead Basin Commission to implement baseline data collection research and coordinate environmental impact assessment of proposed industrial energy developments in the B.C. Flathead River.

In addition to conducting and coordinating research in the B.C. Flathead River, Erin serves on the Crown Manager’s Partnership Steering Committee, the Flathead Coalition Board of Directors and Co-Chairs several committees of the Flathead Basin Commission.

Erin was recently accepted into the PhD program at the University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation for Spring 2009. Erin will continue her research on the Flathead River, conducting a comparative analysis of the Elk and Flathead Rivers, including quantification of aquatic communities and physical habitat condition, characterization of temporal and spatial variability in water quality and ecological integrity; quantification of suspended sediment, and nutrient and trace metal load inputs.

Education

• M.Sc. Environmental Studies, University of Montana (Dec, 2002)
• B.S.  Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz (1999)
• B.A. Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz (1999)

Canadian Flathead River Floodplain