Basin commission names executive director

A Montana native with over three decades of experience as an environmental engineer has been named the first dedicated executive director of the Flathead Basin Commission.

Mel Lehman, who most recently was president and chief executive officer of ALA Environmental, a Gainesville, Fla., consulting firm, grew up in Chester and on a family ranch near Highwood.

The position is being funded for the next year by a grant from the Montana Association of Conservation Districts.

"My commitment to environmental stewardship comes from my early years in Montana and has matured through work across this great nation and the Caribbean on complex environmental issues," Lehman said. "The best fit of man and nature for a sustainable future for both is the challenge we face. In no place is this challenge more evident than in the Flathead Basin."

Among the priorities for Lehman are: Creating a strategic plan for the commission to guide the watershed group in its efforts to monitor, protect and improve water quality throughout the basin; managing the growing number of on-the-ground projects the commission currently has under way; and seeking additional grant funding.

According to Rich Moy, recently elected chairman of the commission, Lehman "has the expertise and experience needed to help the commission work with folks within the Flathead Basin on protecting and improving water quality. He will also work on building a better working relationship with British Columbia on cross-boundary issues that could affect water quality."

Lehman has bachelor's degrees in chemistry and biology, a master's degree in environmental engineering sciences, teaching experience and more than three decades of experience in business development, strategic planning, and engineering on water quality-related projects.

The Flathead Basin Commission is a 22-member watershed group established by the Montana Legislature to monitor and protect water quality in the Flathead River basin of Northwest Montana.

For more information on the commission, visit the organization's Web site, www.flatheadbasincommission.org, or call 752-0081.