NFLA – North Fork Landowners Association

Becky Braunig dies

REBECCA ANN BRAUNIG

The North Fork lost a valued member of the community on May 29, 2023, with the passing of Becky Braunig, 68.

A native of Texas, Becky was a master gardener and a great source of knowledge on all things botanical. She earned a degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University in the 1970s. She began her career working for San Antonio Botanical Gardens. In 1979, she accepted a job with the San Antonio parks department. She worked there for 25 years, rising to the position of Horticultural Services Superintendent for the City of San Antonio. At the height of her career, she was responsible for more than 300 employees.

In the early 1990s, she married Stanley Haag. They came to the North Fork on their honeymoon, staying at the North Fork Hostel. It was love at first sight. Shortly afterward, they purchased property on Trail Creek Road and over several years built a retirement home there. Becky had been a full-time North Fork resident since 2004.

In addition to contributing to local gardening activities, she was an avid wildlife photographer, a member of the North Fork Landowners Association and the North Fork Preservation Association, and a volunteer with North Valley Search and Rescue.

Becky was a sensitive, kind, and generous soul. She will be fondly remembered by her many friends for her love of plants, animals, and the North Fork. And, as many would note, for the delicious stuffed jalapeño peppers she created and brought to many a North Fork potluck dinner.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Sissy Braunig and her husband Von Stanley Haag. Columbia Mortuary is handling arrangements. A memorial will be planned later this summer.

A mountain of millings at DeMers Ridge

Here’s a photo of the the mountain of millings generated by a Glacier Park road resurfacing project and subsequently hauled to the DeMers Ridge gravel pit. Beginning July 10, Flathead County will be reusing this material to repair and upgrade the roughly one-mile section of Glacier Drive between the Polebridge Mercantile and the nearby entrance to Glacier Park.

Millings at DeMers Ridge, May 25, 2023 - Lois Walker — Millings at DeMers Ridge, May 25, 2023 – Lois Walker

2013 GNP Vehicle Reservation System Begins May 26

Oh, joy… and just in time for the long holiday weekend . . .

GNP Vehicle Reservation System Begins May 26

24-hour advance reservations released on a rolling basis starting May 25 at 8 am MDT

Glacier NP Vehicle Reservation Areas 2023

WEST GLACIER, Mont. [May 24, 2023] – Glacier National Park reminds visitors that vehicle reservations are required May 26 through September 10, 2023 for those entering the park by vehicle or motorcycle from 6 am to 3 pm at west side entrances including the North Fork, Camas and West entrances.

For the east side of the park, vehicle reservations will not be required at Many Glacier, Two Medicine and St. Mary (at Rising Sun) entrances until July 1, 2023.

Visitors with lodging, camping, or commercial activity reservations (e.g., boat tours and horseback rides) do not need a vehicle reservation and can use their confirmation email to access the portion of the park for which their activity is booked.

Visitors who do not already possess a vehicle reservation can book 24-hour advance reservations at 8 am MDT on Recreation.gov the day before their visit. Vehicle reservations are only available at Recreation.gov.

The park is open 24/7 and visitors may enter the park before 6 am or after 3 pm without a vehicle reservation; however, entry to Going-to-the-Sun Road from the west side is restricted before 6 am due to construction activities requiring nightly closures.

For the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor, vehicle reservations will be checked at the Rising Sun check point (located 6 miles west of the St. Mary Entrance) beginning on July 1, 2023. Park shuttles at St. Mary Visitor Center are located outside of the vehicle reservation area and accessible without a vehicle reservation.

Additional vehicle reservation information and frequently asked questions are available on the park’s Vehicle Reservation page.

Glacier National Park is surrounded by a vast amount of additional recreational opportunities, including local tribal lands and national forests. Recreational activities on tribal lands such as hiking, boating, fishing, camping, etc. requires a permit through each tribe. Visitors can find more information on the Blackfeet Nation and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) websites. Information for recreation in the Flathead National Forest and Bob Marshall Wilderness can be found on the Forest Services’ website. Visitors should research and plan before visiting these areas.

Need help planning your trip? Visitors looking for travel guidance can visit the Glacier Country Tourism website for additional information about the areas and businesses surrounding Glacier National Park.

Call for Volunteers! Sondreson Hall Cleanup — May 20, 10:00am

Sondreson Hall interior after clean-up, May 14, 2022 - Tami Stone — Sondreson Hall interior after clean-up, May 14, 2022 – Tami Stone

The Sondreson Hall spring cleanup is fast approaching. This year, it will be on Saturday, May 20 at 10:00am.

Dan Jacobson is in charge of hall maintenance and needs to ensure that enough people will be present to accomplish the various outside and inside tasks. If you can come, please contact his wife, Dawn, and let her know: dawnmjacobson@gmail.com or 406-730-1263. She’ll pass the word on to Dan.

Oh, did I not mention lunch? There will definitely be lunch. I believe Dawn has a lot to do with that part, too.

First Aid/CPR/AED Course May 23

Bob Lee will be giving his well-regarded First Aid/CPR/AED class in the North Fork again this spring. It is an all-day course, starting at 9:00am and wrapping up by 4:00pm. The date is Tuesday, May 23. The course will be held at Sondreson Hall. Cost is $45/person. Bring your own lunch and drinks. Class size is limited to 10 people.

The course offers two-year AHA certification in First Aid, CPR and AED usage. If your job requires certified First Aid training, your current certification is expiring or if you just want to get up to speed on such things, this is an excellent way to get it done.

Contact Bill Walker, 406-407-2764 or wkwalker@nvdi.com to sign up for the course.

In case you’re wondering why we are having two classes this spring: Last month’s session was mostly for people taking the chainsaw course in early May. This is the regularly scheduled class we hold each May. If we have enough demand, there will also be another class on Tuesday, July 18.

Glacier National Park announces 2023 spring operations

View East into Glacier NP from Glacier View Mtn, April 16, 2017 - W. K. Walker — View East into Glacier NP from Glacier View Mtn, April 16, 2017 – W. K. Walker

From the official press release . . .

Glacier National Park Announces 2023 Spring Operations
After a long winter construction closure, Going-to-the-Sun Road opened to Lake McDonald Lodge this morning.

WEST GLACIER, Mont. [May 5, 2023] – Glacier National Park staff are gearing up for the season and while full park operations are still a month off, visitors will see an increase in recreational opportunities throughout May.

After remaining closed for the winter due to construction, the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road opened at 6 am this morning to vehicle and recreational access up to Lake McDonald Lodge. Construction will be ongoing through September to mill, reclaim, and pave the road. Visitors should drive and bike with caution. There will be waits of up to 30 minutes in each direction to pass through the construction zone. Nightly closures will begin June 1 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. with opportunities for visitors to pass through at midnight, 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. The east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicles approximately six miles from St. Mary to Rising Sun.

Continue reading Glacier National Park announces 2023 spring operations

New burn permit system debuts May 1

Starting May 1st, 2023, Flathead County will have a new burn permit setup. Short version: You apply for a permit annually and then activate the permit when you wish to burn. Activation will not work if there is a problem with air quality or fire danger.

The Daily Inter Lake has a good article on this. Also, here is the information posted to the old DNRC burning permit page . . .

Flathead County has adopted a new burn permit system that is currently used by 29 other counties in Montana and has combined the efforts of fire and air quality personnel. The new permits are available starting May 1st online at: https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/. You will only need to obtain one permit and can add as many burn locations as necessary. Each day that you intend to burn you will need to activate your permit online or by phone following the instructions on the permit. You will not be able to activate your permit if air quality or fire danger conditions are not favorable…

If you have additional questions, you can call the DNRC Office at 406-751-2270 or the Flathead County Health Department at 406-751-8130.

A note from the North Fork Patrol

The North Fork Patrol has finished checking on all properties that are currently signed up (113). Landowners have been notified if there was any property damage. This was mostly due to snow sliding off roofs and damaging vent stacks, stovepipes, satellite/Starlink dishes and a solar panel mount. There was no evidence of any vandalism on patrolled properties.

This year, especially due to all the local road projects, we can definitely expect to see more people in the area driving around, getting lost and “looking around”. So please remember that the best “security” is relying on neighbors to keep an eye on each other’s properties.

If you have questions, contact Mark Heaphy at 406-890-5043 or m-mheaphy@hotmail.com.

Real estate scammers target North Fork landowner (unsuccessfully)

From Mark Heaphy of the North Fork Patrol . . .

Recently a landowner reported that they had gotten three phone calls in the last week from three different realtors who were checking to see if they had just asked them to list their property for sale. They had not.

Evidently there is a scammer who picked up their information from Flathead County GIS (public site and easily obtained information) and then contacted local realtors on Zillow to see if they would list their property. They used fake email addresses that mimicked their name and cell phone number.

Fortunately the realtors got suspicious and contacted the landowners to verify. The landowner then contacted the county plat room and their title company’s title fraud specialist to make sure everything was in order, which it was. The fraud specialist did comment that: “She looked into things and she found a similar deal also in the North Fork area that failed at closing last year. The scammers typically target vacant land and out of state owners.”

Unfortunately the North Fork is not immune to this type of fraud. So please be aware, especially if you’re an out of state landowner.