Today's Flag:

Montana Air Quality Education Flag Program

Get your town's air quality for today at airnow.gov!

Teaching about air quality at Ekalaka High School

With thanks to our amazing partners!

Exposure to air pollution is linked to increased frequency of asthma attacks, other respiratory conditions, and hospitalizations. Read more from the EPA at Air Pollution: Current and Future Challenges. 

The EPA School Flag Program helps communicate daily air quality conditions with colored flags that correspond to the EPA’s Air Quality Index. The Flag Program is an easy way to generate public awareness about outdoor air conditions. On days with poor air quality levels, participating organizations can use this information to reduce exposure to air pollution and keep children safe. Read more at EPA’s Air Quality Flag Program Webpage. 

After a year of outreach, the Flag Program has been adopted by fifty one organizations across Montana! We've partnered with schools, health clinics, non-profits, a library, and a fire department.  Twenty-eight locations also received a Purple Air monitor to monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) in their location for accurate air quality readings, which is very significant since there are only 20 permanent air quality monitoring stations throughout the entire state of Montana! Over a thousand people stepped up for to be trained in flying the flags and learn more about the impacts of climate change on human health. Thank you all!

Through this project, we've had valuable conversations in communities across Montana about air pollution and health. It's clear that Montanans care about how smoke impacts their health. Our state will continue to be heavily impacted by unhealthy air quality as wildfires worsen (McWethy et al. 2019), but flying the flags can help us make informed decisions to protect our health and the health of our children.

Interested in bringing the Flag Program to your community? Contact us! We can provide information, flags and educational materials.

If you know a great school nurse or science teacher or other staff member at any school in Montana that might be interested, please let us know at [email protected] or 406-763-1006. If you know if a church, non-profit, or business that might be interested, let us know that too!
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Current Participating Locations

1. Absarokee High School - Absarokee MT
2. Southwest MT Community Health Clinic - Anaconda MT
3. Bozeman Health Belgrade Clinic - Belgrade MT
4. Children's Clinic West End - Billings MT
5. Montana Science Center - Bozeman MT
6. Quail Hollow Cooperative Day School - Bozeman MT
7. Sacajawea Middle School - Bozeman MT
8. Brockton School District - Brockton MT
9. Southwest MT Community Health Clinic - Butte MT
10. Patagonia Outlet - Dillon MT
11. Southwest MT Community Health Clinic - Dillon MT
12. ​Dixon School District - Dixon MT
13. Carter County Museum - Ekalaka MT
14. Ekalaka Public Schools- Ekalaka MT 
15. Ophir Elementary School - Gallatin Gateway MT
16. Mountain View Elementary - Great Falls MT
17. Hardin Primary School - Hardin MT
18. Capital High School Green Club - Helena MT
19. Prickly Pear Land Trust - Helena MT
20. Hot Springs High School - Hot Springs MT
21. Missoula Public Library - Missoula MT
22. Hellgate High School - Missoula MT
23. St. Joseph Elementary and Grade School - Missoula MT
24. Washington Middle School - Missoula MT
25. Western MT Clinic - Missoula MT
26. Red Lodge Green Team - Red Loge MT
27. Ronan High School - Ronan MT
28. Stanford Public Schools - Stanford MT
29. St. Ignatius High School - St. Ignatius MT
30. St. Labre Indian School - St. Labre MT
31. Wibaux Public School - Wibaux MT
32. Fort Smith Elementary School - Fort Smith, MT
33.  Montana Learning Center - Helena, MT
34. Fort Peck Office of Environmental Protection - Poplar, MT
35. Blackfeet Environmental Office - Browning, MT
36. Columbia Falls Boys and Girls Club - Columbia Falls, MT
37.  Polson Boys and Girls Club - Polson, MT
38.  Richland Health Department - Sidney, MT
39. Big Fork Fire Department- Bigfork, MT
40. Crow Agency Public School - Crow Agency MT
41. Polson Middle School - Polson, MT
42. Mission Valley Christian Academy - Polson, MT
43. Ronan Middle School - Ronan, MT
44. Ronan High School - Ronan, MT
45. Two Eagle River School - Pablo , MT
46. Hamilton Middle School - Hamilton, MT
47. Seeley Swan Medical Center - Seeley Lake, MT
48. Logan Health Children's - Kalispell, MT 
49.  Lowell School Health Center- Missoula, MT
50. Partnership Health Center- Missoula, MT
51. ​Missoula International School - Missoula, MT
52. Dillon Early Childhood Coalition - Dillon, MT
53. Riverstone Health - Billings MT
54. Billings Central High School - Billings MT
55. Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic - Billings MT
56. Paxton Elementary School - Missoula MT
57. Eagle Mount - Bozeman MT
58. Sheridan High School - Sheridan, MT
59. Children's Clinic - Billings, MT
60. Pretty Eagle Elementary School - St. Xavier, MT
61. Billings West High School - Billings, MT
62. Mountain View Elementary School- Red Lodge MT

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Quail Hollow Daycare, Bozeman MT

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Mountain View Elementary School, Great Falls

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Fort Belknap Environmental Office flying the flag

Red Lodge Fire Department

Montana Science Center, Bozeman

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Tabling at the Emerson Center (Bozeman) for Earth Day!!

Tabling at Patagonia, Dillon MT