Clearwater Resource Council welcomes new executive director

SEELEY LAKE – Clearwater Resource Council hired Caryn Miske as their new executive director this past October. Miske is looking forward to working with the CRC board to support the mission of CRC to engage the community and facilitate efforts that will enhance, conserve, sustain and protect the natural resources and rural lifestyle of the Clearwater Watershed for present and future generations while leading the organization to the next level.

Miske has a wide range of education. She received a law degree from the University of Montana and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University. She also completed all but her dissertation while pursuing a Doctorate in Forestry from UM.

Miske worked as the executive director for the Flathead Basin Commission in Kalispell for 12 years. For the last two years, she worked for Watershed Protection Advocates out of Frenchtown. She focused predominately on aquatic invasive species prevention and was a consultant for CRC.

When Miske found out that CRC's executive director position was open, she expressed interest and met with the CRC board of directors.

"I was ready for a change. I had been doing aquatic invasive species (AIS) work since 2010 and I don't want it to be my sole focus," said Miske.

Miske was hired this fall and will be full time in January. While AIS will still be part of her job with CRC, Miske looks forward to building the organization as a whole. She feels that with their staffing, funding sophistication and expertise already in place, CRC is ready for the next level.

"It is an exciting time to come into an organization where they are at that point and you can really make that difference," said Miske. "I think there is a lot of untapped potential."

Miske said she brings the ability to fundraise and build programs from the ground up.

"Theoretically when you build a program, you want it to be as diversified as possible," said Miske who has been a successful grant writer as well as worked with businesses and individuals for donations. "You want to make sure you can get as many different and diversified funding streams as possible. I think there is a lot of potential to grow and get the word out."

Miske said there is a lot of opportunity for CRC to help address challenges in the community so it is a win-win for everyone. She looks forward to helping existing programs for fuels mitigation and water quality grow by getting the word out and encouraging the community to become involved as well as expanding them to meet future challenges.

Miske would also like to see some of the programs that have stagnated be reinvigorated with both funding and structure. An example she pointed to is CRC's monitoring work on Seeley Lake. Since the funding has been cut, this program has declined. She would like to see as much monitoring as possible and would like to add more monitoring for nutrients and more elements so they can better understand what is happening.

"If we are not doing the monitoring work then we are not going to be able to track trends over time," said Miske.

Due to Miske's work with the Flathead Basin Commission, she has experience in conflict resolution. She worked for many years developing a permanent solution to ensure that strip mining did not occur at the headwaters of the Flathead.

"That was a very conflict laden process. That gave me a fair amount of experience with conflict resolution and learning how to work with people with opinions that are different," said Miske. "I think that is an important skill set especially dealing with the environment and natural resource issues. It is important that everyone's voice gets heard and you have a robust discussion."

Looking more specifically within the CRC organization, Miske looks forward to helping move the organization towards increased sophistication in its grant management and budgeting. She would also like to update CRC's strategic plan and develop a watershed plan for the area. She feels these documents will make grant funding more accessible.

CRC will continue to rely heavily on volunteers to help with their various projects including water quality and AIS monitoring. Miske said they are also always looking for property owners that would like to engage in fuels mitigation on their property.

"The resources here are pretty unique. Preserving those resources and making sure we do whatever we can to protect them is really important," said Miske. "We want the community to be involved as best as they can."

Jon Haufler, President of CRC, said, "We are very pleased and excited to have someone with Caryn's credentials serving as our Executive Director. Caryn's diverse background in natural resources and her expertise in various aspects of aquatic programs will be a tremendous asset to CRC and the community. We look forward to her becoming engaged with the community on all of CRC's activities."

Miske has lived in Missoula County for 20 years. She enjoys spending time with her teenage daughter including horseback riding, hiking, camping and taking care of their menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits and horses. They are excited to be hosting an Australian exchange student through the end of January.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Miske at 677-0069 or email caryn@crcmt.org