The Nyack floodplain of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River is an intermontane floodplain in northwest Montana. Nyack is the location of interdisciplinary research that focuses on the dynamic relationships between physical and biological processes that link flux and retention of materials to evolution of the fluvial landscape. Paleochannels are hypothesized zones of preferential flow that serve as injection and drain points for the aquifer. Furthermore, these paleochannels are localities of diverse above and below ground food webs that facilitate biogeochemical cycling. Unfortunately, paleochannel identification has been limited to observation of swales from aerial photographs, in the field observations, and a limited geophysical study.