NFLA Admin – Page 3

NFLA Website Administrator Change

Recently I learned that NFLA Website Administrator, Patti Craig-Hart, planned to step down, my first thought was, “Wow, she has completed so much work with the site and her effort has truly been a wonderful source of information for issues relevant to our North Fork community.” As a NFLA member, I want to personally thank Patti for her consistent efforts to keep us informed about current North Fork issues via the NFLA website. Thank you! You will be missed!

I asked Lois Walker for any historical information & background on the NFLA website and who the site administrators have been in the past. Here is what I learned.

Richard Wackrow originally setup the site in 2007. At that time he handled both the website and newsletter. In 2009 he resigned and Patti Craig-Hart took over the website admin role and Jon Elliott took the newsletter. During the last 9 plus years, Patti has expanded the breadth and scope of the site and focused on keeping members current on NFIA/NFLA events, and issues of interest (roads, river, weather & fire information) with the help of community leaders and land owners in the valley. In addition she maintained the NF News website, which has been another source of news for many in our valley.

Looking forward, I am excited to be the NFLA website administrator for our community. If you have photos, news, events or information to share with the North Fork community please send it to me at Vernon@petteyfamily.org.

North Fork Neighborhood Plan Update

Our North Fork Neighborhood Plan and ensuing zoning regulations are required to be reviewed every ten years. Our committee recently facilitated a meeting to comply. At that meeting both landowners in the audience and members of the committee determined that there were no substantive issues that led to thinking that the Plan needed amending. The committee will continue to meet as factual updating of the plan, along with other issues, need to be discussed. We will keep everyone apprised as this endeavor continues. Please review our meeting minutes and memo to the County Planning Board and contact me if you have any questions.

Randy Kenyon
NFLUAC Minutes October 2018, NFLUAC Review Memo Oct 2018

October 1 Wildland Fire Potential Outlook

Here is the October 1 Wildland Fire Potential Outlook: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

Not much of a surprise here. As I was discussing with Lynn Ogle last week, we haven’t had a “season-ending” event, but the door is slowly closing on the fire season in the North Fork. Note the forecast for warmer temperatures and below average snowpack for the Northern Rockies over the winter.

So, watch out for your burning conditions – we could still have warm, windy days where fires could escape in light flashy fuels. Always do your test fire (with water handy) to see how it carries in the fuels surrounding your burn piles. That will tell you a lot.

Thanks to all of you. Have a great burning season, and a good winter! Allen

North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee

This coming Sunday October 14th the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee will be meeting to discuss and review our Neighborhood Planning and Zoning as required every ten years. It will be held at 5:00pm at Sondreson Hall, just prior to the regular NFLA monthly meeting. This is an opportunity to give input on this plan developed many years ago to preserve and protect our unique way of life. If there are any questions or comments please contact me at kenyonnorthfork@gmail.com or (406) 640-3184. We hope to see you there!

Randy Kenyon

NFLUAC Chair

10 Year Review of the North Fork Neighborhood Plan

Randy Kenyon is asking for your help. The North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee (NFLUAC) has been revived and their first mission is to perform a 10 year review of the North Fork Neighborhood Plan approved by the Flathead County Board of Commissioners and adopted in June of 2008. If you are interested in participating in this 10 year review, please get into contact with Randy, Committee Chair, within the next 30 days by sending an email (kenyonnorthfork@gmail.com), letter (77 Moose Creek Road Polebridge 59928), or calling 406-640-3184.

Living with Fire on the North Fork

Following is an article that was sent by our good North Fork neighbor, Karina Pettey…

Saturday, August 11, 2018: Lightning punctuated local radio chatter as my neighbors tried to pinpoint strikes from the predicted dry storm. Using lightning app technology and line of sight, they worked to identify potential areas to watch for smoke. For now, darkness shrouded the forest as duff incubated the embers.

Sunday morning, the smell of fresh smoke greeted us but we shrugged it off. Our neighbor smelled it as well and called it in. Fire dispatch argued, he insisted. Three hours later, there was official confirmation of a fire on Whale Butte and a Type III team rolled in to check it out. A little fire located up the North Fork, one of several started by the same storm, Whale Butte was low priority and we knew it.

Preparing for fire begins well before lightning strikes. The North Fork Landowners Association (NFLA) collaborates with government agencies on multiple fronts including fire mitigation and fire safety. Community organizations and agencies with responsibilities on the North Fork hold joint public meetings twice a year. It’s an opportunity to address issues, network, and build relationships. North Forkers don’t mince words and our government partners know it! When the Type 1 Team was assigned, the Forest Service made it clear that community relationships were a Value at Risk. An angry North Fork is the stuff of local legend. After all, we might quit bringing dessert to potlucks!

Fire Meeting at the Hall | photo by Suzanne Daniel

Continue reading Living with Fire on the North Fork

Project documents history of the North Fork

Old photos, newspapers and documents detailing the history of the North Fork at Lois Walker’s residence in Polebridge | from the Daily Inter Lake

The Daily Inter Lake has an article that says… The North Fork Landowners Association is working to amass, catalog and publish a vast trove of documents, photos and old news clippings that lend insight into the cultural heritage of the area. The group is also conducting and archiving oral history interviews.

Read the full article here.

The link in the article doesn’t take you to the NFLA History Project page, but you can use https://nflandowners.org/north-fork-history-project/ to get there.

We want to thank Lois Walker, the current chair of the NFLA History Committee, Debo Powers, the former chair, and all of the folks who have worked so hard on the North Fork History Project for so many years. Really… a job well done.

Amendment Postponed

An amendment to the NFLA Bylaws was proposed at the July Business Meeting to move the meeting date back to the first Saturday of every month. At the August Business Meeting, the vote on this amendment was postponed and the Board has accepted the task of sending out a survey to all paid members to get their input. Then, it will be discussed next year at the June Business Meeting, so that we can get a better feel for what all the members want.

To read a pdf version of the amendment, tap here.

Scott Emmerich has passed away

We got the following from friends and wanted to pass it along. Scott was a wonderful person and we’re sorry to see him go…

I just got a text from Jan Emmerich. Scott passed away last night at home surrounded by his family. His battle with glioblastoma has ended. He was a good friend to many of us in the nfork.

2018 Summer Interlocal Summary

Molly Shepherd and Allen Chrisman have combined their notes from the Summer Interlocal that took place at Sondreson Hall on Wednesday, July 18th. You can get a pdf version of that summary by tapping here.

Thank you Molly and Allen for taking the time to put these notes together. They will not only be useful for folks who were unable to attend, but provide a record that can be reviewed in the future about what was discussed during this important meeting.