The Whitefish Lake Institute is committed to science, education, and aquatic resource initiatives to protect and improve Whitefish Lake and area water resources today, while providing a collective community vision for tomorrow.
Meet The Whitefish Lake Institute Staff
Mike is the founder and executive director of the Whitefish Lake Institute. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Luther College. Mike's career began in the fisheries division of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks working in the Clark Fork and Blackfoot River drainages. Mike then traveled to Nevada to study Lahontan Cutthroat trout for the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, and in Alaska, he worked for the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation. Upon his return to Montana, Mike was a partner at Watershed Consulting for eight years where he specialized in fisheries issues.
Mike currently serves as a governor appointed member and chair of the Western Montana Conservation Commission. His past service includes governor appointments to the Water Pollution Control Advisory Council, Flathead Basin Commission, and the Upper Columbia Conservation Commission. At the Flathead Basin Commission, Mike served on the Executive Committee and chaired the On-site Wastewater Treatment Committee and Technical Committee. At the Upper Columbia Conservation Commission, Mike chaired the Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection and Monitoring Committee.
Mike also served on the Montana Watershed Coordination Council Board and the Whitefish Climate Action Plan Committee. Mike was a co-coordinator of the second and third editions of the Montana Lake Book. He is a past recipient of the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society’s Individual Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the protection and enhancement of fisheries resources in Montana.
Durae joined Whitefish Lake Institute at the start of 2023. Prior to this she spent 20 years working for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks protecting and monitoring native trout populations on the Flathead River and Yellowstone River watersheds. Most recently she worked with the wildlife division monitoring sensitive species of amphibians, reptiles, and birds.
Durae holds a degree in Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She has also attended classes at the Flathead Lake Biological Station in stream and aquatic ecology to further diversify her knowledge on the importance of water quality in and around the Flathead Valley.
She looks forward to supporting the long-term monitoring and protection of the Whitefish Lake watershed through citizen science programs, the collection of baseline water quality data, and community outreach and education. In her free time, she can be found on skis, bike, or foot exploring the mountains and lakes in the northwest with her adventurous husband and trusty horse.
Prior to WLI Cassie got her Masters in Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. There she worked with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to help ensure the safety of drinking water in their Catskill Reservoirs. She also participated in long term monitoring programs on three lakes located in the Pennsylvania Poconos. Cassie has worked in Grand Junction Colorado doing riparian vegetation monitoring along the Colorado, Dolores, and Gunnison rivers. Prior to that she worked on a roving trail crew throughout Arizona and Utah for the Arizona conservation corps. Cassie also attended Elizabethtown College in Eastern Pennsylvania where she played field hockey and duel majored in Environmental Science and French. Cassie was born and raised in Maine where her lifelong love of lakes began. She spent many summers swimming and exploring Baxter State Park in Northern Maine, where she fostered a love for the outdoors. Cassie is looking forward to researching and protecting Whitefish Lake and getting to know this exciting community. In her free time, Cassie enjoys hiking, swimming, and running.
Carol Treadwell, Ph.D., is the Finance and Grants Manager at WLI. She has held faculty positions at Middlebury College, Green Mountain College, and the State University of New York (SUNY) where she taught geology, geomorphology, and Environmental Science. She has 20 years’ experience in not-for-profit leadership and has served as Executive Director for both the Ausable River Association and Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation. Currently a certified grant writer, she employs the power of the pen to gain support for conservation of wild places. Her hobbies are recreating anywhere and anyhow in America’s great outdoors. Carol lives in Kalispell, Montana with her husband John, a herd of 25 award winning merino sheep, and a llama named Teddy Roosevelt.
Many regions of the world do not have adequate supplies of fresh clean water. Preserving water quality has been one of Carol’s career passions. While at the Ausable River Association, she started a citizen science water quality monitoring network, worked to bring watershed citizens together to agree upon best practices to preserve water quality, conducted watershed wide studies on fish passage, wetlands, and stream bank erosion. Throughout her career she has raised millions of dollars to support conservation causes using strengths in grant writing and fund development. Carol hopes to continue the rock-solid grant acquisition foundation Lori Curtis has built for WLI.
