This year, American Rivers produced a list of America’s most endangered rivers, listing the Clark Fork among the most endangered. The organization cites Frenchtown’s Smurfit-Stone pulp mill's industrial pollution as the major reason for this listing. The mill left extremely hazardous materials, such as PCBs, arsenic, dioxins, and furans, which are at risk of further contaminating the river and surrounding areas. The heightened risk of flooding escalates the potential for direct washout of this pollution into the Clark Fork and long-lasting threats to both ecological and human health.


In an effort to address this crisis, MontPIRG has partnered with the Clark Fork Coalition and American Rivers to organize Pulp Friction: A Panel Discussion on the mess at Smurfit-Stone advocating for the expedited cleanup of the site. The evening features the screening of "Pulp Friction: The Clark Fork River's Toxic Legacy" by American Rivers. Following the screening there will be a panel discussion with local experts, including Casey Ryan - Compact Resource Officer from The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Peter Nielsen - retired environmental health supervisor for Missoula County and Clark Fork Coalition member, Molly Davidson - water resources engineer and owner of Crescent Ridge Farm, and members from Montana Trout Unlimited. The event will conclude with the announcement of winners from our social media challenge.