UM researchers investigate human impact on backcountry lakes

FLATHEAD LAKE – After another summer of record-breaking tourism, it remains clear that Montana’s natural environment and breathtaking backcountry continue to draw numerous visitors who serve as a major economic driver for the state. This increase in tourism recently led University of Montana graduate student Daniel Pendergraph to pose the question: What impact might this boom in human activity have on the pristine water quality of backcountry lakes?

In a new study published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, Pendergraph – lead author and now a graduate of the W...