The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) works to engage the community and facilitate efforts that will enhance, conserve, sustain, and protect the natural resources and rural lifestyle of the Clearwater Watershed for present and future generations. Learn more »

Announcements, News and Events.

There is an upcoming Community Wildfire Preparedness Day event being led by Missoula County on Saturday, May 2nd. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

We hope you’ll consider attending.
If you have questions regarding this event you can email at: fuelmitigation@missoulacounty.us

Support CRC by participating in the Seeley Lake Community Foundation’s

Change Your Pace Challenge

When you make a donation through the “Challenge,” CRC receives 100% of the money donated directly to it, plus the ‘challenge’ percentage based on how big the CYP Challenge Fund grows. Click here for the CYP Challenge page.

Runs May 1-31, 2026

(Septic) Help in on the Way by Karen Williams, CRC Director of Aquatic Programs
Opinion in the March 12, 2026, Seeley Swan Pathfinder. Learn the basics of what a septic system does and a program coming up to help assist with the cost of maintaining a septic system. Read the article by Clicking Here.

Area Lake Monitoring

In the coming months, the nutrient data (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) will be analyzed with results provided by the Flathead Lake Biological Station as part of the Monitoring Montana Waters program. Eventually this information will be added into lake reports which can be found on various CRC web pages. The AIS lab work is done by MT FW&P at their Helena lab. To date, no evidence of quagga or zebra mussels has be found, which is a very good thing.

To learn more about the 2025 monitoring, check out the October 9th, Seeley Swan Pathfinder article, “Summer on the Chain of Lakes” by Karen Williams by Clicking Here.

For general information about lake monitoring check out our Aquatics and AIS pages, and for specific lake information visit the Clearwater Lakes Information page. To find specific information on the six lakes CRC is monitoring, Click Here.

CRC’s terrestrial program, led by Scott Tomson, is continuing to focus on hazardous fuels reduction and forest vegetation restoration in 2026. We will continue to collaborate with our long-term partners in and adjacent to the Clearwater watershed on fuels and forest management and we also will be working on the implementation of private lands projects we are assisting on under hazardous fuels grants we have received. To learn about additional projects that are in the works or to get a Fuels Mitigation Grant application, Click Here.

CRC is getting organized for 2026 Summer Projects. If you’d like to volunteer to help out with lake monitoring, the pollinator garden or have an idea for a project you think might be a good fit for CRC, be sure to contact Jon Haufler, whose email information is listed at the bottom of the page.

Thank You to all of the volunteers who helped out with various summer projects and programs in 2025.

Clearwater Valley - Water Quality Monitoring information

Water Quality Monitoring Findings presentation - a Community Meeting

On January 9, 2024, CRC presented various findings from its years of water monitoring of the lakes and streams in the Clearwater Valley as well as the current understanding of the status of surface and groundwaters.

The informational slides titled, Water Quality Monitoring Findings which were used during the presentation can be downloaded here. (pdf format, 3.5MB)

The informational report Clearwater Valley Watershed Restoration Plan with data used in the presentation can be downloaded here. (pdf format, 3.6MB)

Thank you to everyone who attended both in person and via Zoom. Much appreciation to Tom Browder for making the Zoom option possible.

Area Fire Plan

The 2019 update of the Seeley-Swan Fire Plan is now available.

First prepared in 2004, this updated plan helps guide and focus wildfire mitigation activities in the Seeley Lake-Clearwater River watershed as well as the Swan River watershed.

The Fire Plan identifies significant wildfire risks to the communities and outlines an action plan to reduce or eliminate fire impacts. It includes resources and information to assist county residents, public and private organizations, local government, and others interested in planning for wildfire risk reduction. This includes a list of action steps that will assist both communities in reducing and preventing loss from future wildfire events. Download the plan. (3.5)MB

Learn more about CRC’s Forest Fuels initiatives and consider participating in a Forest Fuels Home Assessment and applying for a Fuels Mitigation Grant. Click here to download the application. Be sure to save the file. Then complete and return to CRC.

Many of CRC’s events have been reported in the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, the weekly local paper.
Click here for a list of articles.

Informative Reports