By Cari Kimball
Photos provided by Karen Knudsen.
When I lived in Missoula 14 years ago, I loved seeing how a river shapes the spirit of a place. People of all ages walk or ride their bikes on the pathways alongside the Clark Fork River. Our pup Wibaux learned how to swim in those chilly waters during daily visits to the park. Treats from the farmers’ market just taste better when eaten while watching surfers on Brennan’s Wave. And no summer is complete without an inner tube float session or two, enjoying the rowdy camaraderie of friends, the beautiful scenery, and then the bone-chilling wind that kicks up right at the take-out.
The Clark Fork River is embedded at the heart and soul of Missoula (and Montana!), and we want to thank Karen Knudsen for all the heart and soul she has dedicated to helping the Clark Fork ecosystem become what it is today. MEIC is delighted to recognize her as our 2024 Conservationist of the Year.
When Karen first arrived in Missoula over 30 years ago, the waterway was so contaminated that people avoided it. Her decades of persistent, collaborative, and innovative work have had an immense impact on the entire drainage, as well as the state. From the headwaters to the Idaho border, Karen has led the Clark Fork Coalition in finding multifaceted ways to not only improve water resources in the watershed, but also to educate people on the importance of the river. She’s led by example by showing what restoration should look like, and help people have fun along the way. During her 17 years leading the Coalition, her calm demeanor, innovation, and commitment to partnerships with people and organizations like MEIC has made the Clark Fork Coalition the state’s leader in protecting an entire watershed and bringing people together to help accomplish that mission.
Karen’s tenure at the Clark Fork Coalition has had profound impacts across the state as well. Karen’s dogged determination is demonstrated in the Coalition’s accomplishments. In 1999, the Coalition and MEIC were plaintiffs in the case in which the Montana Supreme Court ruled that Montanans have a fundamental right to a clean and healthful environment. The Coalition was an invaluable partner in helping stop a large gold mine on the banks of the Blackfoot River. The Coalition’s dogged dedication to cleanup of the Superfund site from Butte to Missoula has brought huge improvements in the water resources of the drainage. And Karen has brought the Coalition’s leadership to protecting water quality and water quantity, particularly on the issue of harmful exempt wells. In recent years, her leadership has seen the Coalition drive the cleanup of Smurfit-Stone’s toxic sludge along the banks of the Clark Fork River. The Clark Fork River and the Clark Fork Coalition both flourished under Karen’s leadership.
So the next time you have a chance to visit the Clark Fork River, we hope you’ll join MEIC in marveling at the beauty and resilience of this mighty river and please join us in thanking Karen for her mighty efforts bringing about more clean and healthful water in Missoula and beyond.
This article was published in the December 2024 issue of Down To Earth.
