By JIM MANN/Daily Inter Lake

Out of all scientific research organizations, the U.S. Geological Survey has always been the loftiest for Clint Muhlfeld.

Now he is part of the Geological Survey ranks.

After 13 years with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (most recently leading native fisheries research), Muhlfeld was hired on as an aquatics ecologist for Geological Survey, operating out of the field station at Glacier National Park.

The position is new for the organization, which for years has had only one aquatics researcher, Bob Greswell, who is based at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman.

Greswell, a leading expert on cutthroat trout and salmonid ecology, does work that is mostly concentrated in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

"He's been a mentor of mine for years," said Muhlfeld, who marvels at Geological Survey scientists in other fields as well, including climate researcher Dan Fagre and grizzly bear researcher Kate Kendall, who also are based at Glacier.

"The USGS has scientists doing incredible work around the world. I mean, we've got scientists studying the geology of Mars," Muhlfeld said. "These guys have been my role models. Really, they've been my idols."

Muhlfeld, 35, sees considerable opportunities at Glacier, where fisheries research has been sporadic over the years.

"It's actually an unbelievable opportunity for me. It really is a dream come true," he said. "I will be able to lead research and start my own program here."

Muhlfeld started at Fish, Wildlife and Parks with some groundbreaking work on isolated and fragmented redband trout populations in extreme Northwest Montana. There was no published research on those populations prior to his master's thesis with the University of Idaho.

Muhlfeld later delved into native fisheries research, concentrating on genetics and hybridization. His work determined the extent of hybridization between rainbow trout and westslope cutthroat trout in the Flathead River basin.

That work has become the focus of his pursuit for a doctoral degree from Montana State University. Muhlfeld lived in Bozeman for most of last year, completing his course work and teaching fisheries biology. He expects to earn his Ph.D. within a year.

It was Jeff Kershner, the director of the Geological Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, who established Muhlfeld's position.

"He noticed that there are so many emerging issues and the USGS doesn't have a presence in this region" for fisheries research, Muhlfeld said of Kershner, who has an extensive fisheries background.

Muhlfeld said the major issue in the region is the impact of non-native fish species on native fisheries. He hopes to measure the extent of lake trout invasion in Glacier's Quartz Lake and its impacts on native bull trout.

"A large part of my job is going to involve assisting Glacier National Park with their research needs," he said.

But Muhlfeld will not be limited to the park. With Fish, Wildlife and Parks, he led efforts to measure the presence of Montana bull trout and cutthroat trout in the Canadian headwaters of the North Fork Flathead River where coal-mining and coal-bed methane development projects are proposed.

He anticipates he will continue to be involved with that work and that he will be working jointly with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and other agencies on a variety of projects.

Meanwhile, Muhlfeld also plans to dabble in his other passion, bicycle road racing and mountain-bike racing. He is a repeat state champion in both pursuits, and last year, he was ranked fourth on a U.S. national team in marathon cross-country races.

"I'm still racing a little bit," he said. "But my time spent training and competing has definitely decreased."

That's mainly to make time for his wife, Amy, and young children, Madeline and Jack.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com