Speakers: Leo Rosenthal, Montana FWP, and Sheena Pate, Flathead Rivers Alliance
Topic: “The Three Forks of the Flathead — Fish, Flow, and the Future”
Join us for an engaging evening exploring the past, present, and future of the Flathead River system through the lens of fisheries science, collaboration, and conservation.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries biologist Leo Rosenthal opens the program with an overview of the Three Forks watershed, highlighting long-term trends, monitoring efforts, and what the data tells us about two of the Flathead’s iconic native trout: bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.
Following the science, Sheena Pate, Executive Director of Flathead Rivers Alliance, will connect the dots between data and action. Sheena will spotlight collaborative partnerships across the Three Forks, current threats and conservation trends, and the upcoming the 50th Anniversary of the Flathead Wild & Scenic River designation in 2026.
Together, Leo and Sheena bring complementary perspectives – agency science and nonprofit collaboration – offering a powerful picture of how fisheries management, community engagement, and river advocacy intersect.
Leo Rosenthal has been the Flathead East Fisheries Management Biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for the past 19 years. Originally from the mining city of Butte, America, Leo received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Montana in 1997 and an M.S. In Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University in 2007. Leo's management area includes the Swan River, and South and Middle Forks of the Flathead River.
Sheena Pate is the Executive Director of Flathead Rivers Alliance, where she leads collaborative efforts to steward and protect the 219+ mile Flathead Wild & Scenic River system. With over 20 years of experience as a hydrologist, communications specialist, and watershed project coordinator in Montana and Colorado, she brings both scientific expertise and a passion for public engagement to her work. A lifelong river enthusiast, Sheena believes awareness is a critical first step toward lasting conservation. She holds degrees from the University of Montana and Colorado State University and can often be found on the river with her family.