About Us

Lolo Watershed Group (LWG) is a volunteer-led 501(c)3 nonprofit working to revive, conserve, and sustain the Lolo Creek Watershed. We are community members who value the local, regional, and national significance of Lolo Creek and its Watershed.

In 2003, LWG was registered with the Montana Secretary of State as a mechanism to provide stream restoration and other collaborations within the Watershed.

LWG originated as an information clearinghouse where a steering committee offered a forum for dialogue. Since then, we have facilitated riparian restoration, debris removal, channel rehabilitation, snowpack analysis, and mitigation of instream and on-the-ground sediment load, along with educational outreach to the community and local schools. In 2013, LWG authored and received approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the Lolo Creek Watershed Restoration Plan (WRP).

Lolo Creek is one of only a handful of watersheds with an approved WRP in Montana! Our WRP has been instrumental in bringing awareness and support to Lolo Creek. Enough interest was generated that the Montana DEQ and Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology enlisted in a pilot groundwater study in lower Lolo Creek to understand how water volume has changed over time and what to anticipate in the future. Check out our Technical Resources to learn more.

As we look to the future, we will continue as a community-based nonprofit working toward conserving and restoring the Lolo Creek Watershed. We will act as a convener, bringing together neighbors and experts to build on the strengths of our past and expand the involvement of the Lolo community and interested stakeholders in collaborations that foster conservation and learning in the Watershed.

Our Mission

LWG will promote the health of Lolo Creek through education, coordination, and stakeholder collaboration while emphasizing community conservation of the Watershed. As a thought leader and convener, we will work with our partners to restore the entire Lolo Creek stream system by applying a volunteer and science-based approach to watershed restoration.

Our Vision

LWG envisions a fully restored and naturally functioning watershed where a healthy forest and stream system supports rural development, commerce, and recreational uses and maintains its natural biological function with the Bitterroot River while thriving along with the growing Lolo community.

Our Board of Directors

The LWG Board is an all volunteer group working to give strategic direction to the organization, discuss issues, develop plans, and manage finances. Board members are elected by current members at an annual meeting and serve three-year terms. The LWG’s Bylaws call for a minimum of 5 Board members, with balanced representation of conservation, agricultural/ranch, and at-large community interests. Board members must reside in the state of Montana and at least half of the officers must be residents of the Lolo Creek Watershed or the Lolo community.
Tana Doyle

Tana Doyle, Treasurer

Tana Doyle was born in Shelby, Montana and raised in Missoula. Tana attended the University of Montana and received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, emphasis in accounting. She went on to obtain her Certified Public Accountant license and has worked in public accounting since 1996. In 2008, Tana moved to a small farm near Lolo Creek and discovered the Lolo Watershed Group. After being inspired by their conservation efforts, she decided to join the Board of Directors in 2017.
Amanda Duley

Amanda Duley, Board Member

Amanda joined the LWG Board after hosting watershed educational events with LWG at Woodman School in 2020. She lived in Hamilton prior to moving to Missoula to work with organizations translating and communicating science and their work to be able to have meaningful conversations with the public. She loves to connect with new people and help organizations co-create with their communities to design and implement educational spaces + experiences for their community. She is owner of SciDesigns Communications.
Heather Hibbard

Heather Hibbard, Board Member

Heather is eager to support LWG’s mission to revive, conserve, and sustain the Lolo Watershed. She has a Master’s Degree in Education and was an instructor, advisor, and mentor program manager at the University of Montana for the past 15 years. She belongs to a 6th generation Montana ranching family by marriage, which has reinforced her passion for preserving and restoring ecological resources in our state. She loves sharing nature experiences with her husband and two lively children!

Ron Pierce

Ron Pierce, Board Member

Ron Pierce is a retired Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) fisheries biologist who worked the Blackfoot River restoration program for 30 years. Ron moved to Lolo in 1993 and joined LWG in 2021. His background includes aquatic habitat restoration, fish population investigations, riparian land management and community conservation. Ron is also a member of the Missoula Conservation Roundtable, sits on the FWP and Future Fisheries Committee, and holds AFS Certified Fisheries Professional Emeritus status. Ron likes everything outdoors, especially rivers and his dogs!
Pat Treacy

Pat Treacy, Board Member

Pat works as an environmental engineer with WGM Group, a consulting firm based in Missoula. His work is focused on water resources including river restoration, streamside permitting, and hydraulic modeling. In his free time, he loves exploring the mountains and rivers throughout Western Montana. He joined the LWG to help conserve one of his favorite areas to recreate, the Lolo Watershed. Pat is excited to support the group’s mission and engage with the community!

Don

Don, Board Member

Bio to come…

Beth Cogswell, Board Member

Beth grew up in Great Falls, Montana and Boise, Idaho before moving to Missoula 35 years ago. Beth has spent her career in development and executive leadership roles for nonprofits including Planned Parenthood of Montana, Five Valleys Land Trust, Youth Homes, and University of Montana Foundation. She serves as the Director of Community Development and Fundraising for Wild Rockies Field Institute. In her free time, she hikes, swims, bikes and plays tennis and squash.. She loves to read, cook and grow flowers and doesn’t go a day without listening to music.

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