Glacier Country News

Brooke Bain-White, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Montana's Global Climate and Ecology Lab, is investigating the impact of wildfires on high-elevation lakes in Glacier National Park. Her research focuses on understanding how fires affect nutrient levels in these lakes, particularly Lake McDonald, which has seen a rise in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations.

Bain-White's interest in human impacts on remote ecosystems began a decade ago when she discovered nonnative fish species in Sourdough Lake, North Cascades. Her master's work at Western Washington University involved studying toxic mine waste effects on subalpine streams.

In Glacier National Park, Bain-White hypothesizes that increased nutrient content is linked to wildfire activity. Funded by the Glacier National Park Conservancy, her research includes creating a nutrient budget for lakes like Lake McDonald. "If you think of a lake as your bank account, you have a certain amount of money in it," she explained.

Bain-White faces challenges not only from rugged terrain but also due to gender biases in her field. "I’m the only woman doing research up there on the lakes," she noted. Despite setbacks, she remains committed to her work and aims to be a mentor for others.

Sage Fletcher, another researcher at UM, works alongside Bain-White studying fire impacts on lakes affected by the 2023 Colt Fire compared to unaffected ones. Their collaboration extends beyond academia as Bain-White supports Fletcher both professionally and personally.

Glacier National Park lacks long-term lake monitoring programs; Bain-White's work addresses this gap while advocating for more extensive studies across the Mountain West. As she stated: “We don’t know what we don’t know until we try to know it.”