Southwest Montana Adventurers Needed

You Can Help Protect the Gallatin River

Hikers, lace up your boots, and head into the Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone to gather water samples. Paddlers, it’s time to eddy out for conservation science. Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation is launching a new project just miles from our headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, tackling an emerging problem for waters near and far.

Flowing 120 miles through the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Gallatin River is home to some of the nation’s most pristine landscapes and its best river recreation. The Gallatin is a lifeblood for local communities, but preliminary ASC samples show that it is threatened by microplastic pollution.  

“As we continue to find microplastic particles in water samples from around the world, we’re compelled to ask deeper questions and move beyond what we already know,” says ASC Microplastics Project Manager Jenna Walenga. “Yes, plastic ends up in the ocean, but where exactly is it coming from?” 

With your help, we aim to find out.

Starting this September, the southwest Montana river community will have an opportunity to help gather water samples from the length of the Gallatin River and its significant tributaries. To obtain a clear picture of the problem, we will begin by sampling four times between September 2015 and June 2016, with continuing efforts in the years to come.

We will implement the data as a direct catalyst for change, using it to inform consumers and regulators, and to encourage corporate responsibility.

Bozeman, Big Sky and beyond: Let’s work together to keep the Gallatin clear! We can’t do this without you.