February’s AW Volunteers of the Month are Ian McIntosh and Ron Lodders!
photo of John Gangemi (blue) and Ian McIntosh (yellow) on West Rosebud
For the past several years, Ian and Ron have been working as a team on the relicensing of the Mystic Lake Hydroelectric Project, located on West Rosebud Creek in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains. The Mystic Lake relicensing has been especially challenging because it is among the first projects to use the new Integrated Licensing Process (as opposed to the familiar Traditional or Alternative Processes). This new process requires a lot of time in meetings, and has been a learning experience for everyone involved.
Ian and Ron worked closely with past AW Western Director John Gangemi to negotiate a recreational flow study on West Rosebud Creek which they successfully pulled off over the 2004 and 2005 summers. They suffered through many runs down this spectacular Class IV run through the Beartooths, and the result is a recently released flow study report that clearly shows what an awesome paddling destination West Rosebud is.
Ian and Ron are now in the thick of negotiations with the dam owner, and hope to have completed these negotiations this year. Montana paddlers are anxiously awaiting the results.
Volunteers like Ron and Ian are an absolutely invaluable part of AW’s River Stewardship Program. Tackling relicensing projects is certainly not for everyone, but Ron and Ian signed up for a daunting 5 year process and have handled the challenges with style.
Congratulation Ron and Ian, and Good Luck!