Mark Heaphy

Update from the North Fork Patrol

Here are some updates from the North Fork Patrol courtesy of Mark Heaphy:

1). During the last week of this past general hunting season a hunter illegally shot two cow elk in the vicinity of Whale Creek road; the truck and license plate were reported by some landowners. Although the case is still ongoing, the patrol voted to give an award to the landowners; this award is split between the patrol and the NFLA. Thanks to all who continue to keep an eye out for their neighbors properties.

2). The patrol also added Kevin Ulrichsen to its patrollers. After the required background check and briefing he is starting to help check on signed up properties. Kevin is an EMT, former fireman and a great addition to the NF patrol.

3). There have been a few medical incidents these last few months and folks have since asked what they should do. The very first thing one should always do in any emergency is to somehow contact 911; if you don’t have phone service figure out who near you does and have them do so. Be sure to have your address and pertinent info available (things can get stressful so write it down beforehand if possible) for example: 12345 NF road, 120 year old man with pacemaker, high blood pressure, diabetic with history of…etc). By making this call the ball gets rolling and available resources are notified, such as park rangers, law enforcement, SAR, border patrol, hospital etc. Next, you can contact other neighbors, professionals, north fork patrol etc. Typically you can expect both a truck from Blankenship Fire and Three Rivers ambulance, or/and (depending on the emergency) a helo from ALERT or 2Bear. As necessary (to save time), you can always transport the subject down the NF road with flashers on to meet an ambulance en-route. If possible, have an extra person available to mark your entranceway for an ambulance. You can also have little “go bag” ready if you’re going to stay the night at a hospital or in the valley.

These are just basic steps to help during an unexpected emergency.

4). Currently there are about 125 properties signed up for the patrol.

5). The annual winter North Valley SAR training is scheduled for Saturday, 8 Feb. It will be conducted in the Kintla Ranch/Trail Creek area and possibly state section 16.

6). If there are any questions, folks are always welcome to contact Mark at 406-890-5043.

Thanks!

Bear briefing at Sondreson Hall this Wednesday, Oct 18

Justine Vallieres and Erik Wenum from FWP will be at the Community Hall this Wednesday, the 18th, at 1600. They will give an update on the recent bear incidents and to answer any questions from the community. All are welcome to attend.

If you cannot attend but have a question(s) you’d like addressed, please contact Mark Heaphy at 406-890-5043 or at m-mheaphy@hotmail.com

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.

Flooding not an issue in the North Fork so far

From Mark Heaphy at 7:58am on June 15 . . .

The North Fork Patrol checked properties for flooding yesterday and all are currently not threatened. One owner adjacent to a creek was notified about a potential concern.

The river is forecast to crest again at the border this weekend but not at flood stage.

More information . . .
Current and forecast river levels, North Fork Flathead River
Flood information links

North Fork Patrol year-end report

North Fork and the moon - photo by Mark Heaphy — North Fork and the moon – Mark Heaphy

The North Fork Patrol had its year-end meeting this past Thursday, December 16, and had only a few things to report:

- There were no major incidents this past year. Recorded patrol mileage was 1427 miles.
- With the increase of people in the area, the board wanted to recommend to folks who store weapons in their structures that they make sure guns are locked up, preferably in a safe.
- Keeping an eye on your neighbor’s property goes a long way to helping out the community and the patrol.

Mark Heaphy