Message from Treasurer Chris Heitz… Our last NFLA meeting of the season is Sunday, Oct 8. Larry Wilson will be showing some of his wonderful slides at 7PM, and the meeting will be at 8PM. We are asking our members to bring donations of canned goods for the Food Bank or the Veterans Pantry, and of course, monetary donations are also welcomed. This 70th Anniversary summer has been one of the best and we hate to see it end, but our new Board is already planning events for next summer! If anyone has ideas or suggestions for next year, please email Chris Heitz at treasurer@nflandowners.org and they will be forwarded to the Social Committee. Thank you so much for your past support, and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday, October 8, and next year.
Category: Calendar
Saturday’s Meeting
At 7 PM the Two Bear Search & Rescue Helicopter will arrive and speak on their important work here in the North Fork. It will be interesting and informative!
At 8 PM the election of officers will occur and we need interested members to join the board.
Also, don’t miss voting on a by-laws amendment changing the day of the business meetings to the 2nd Sunday of each month (as opposed to the current 1st Saturday).
The purpose of this proposed and to be voted on change is to allow greater involvement of community members for whom Saturday poses an impossibility to attend.
Bring a neighbor and see you Saturday @ Sondreson Hall @ 7 PM.
Grizzly Bear Presentation by Tim Manley before July Business Meeting
Tim Manley from the FWP will be giving a talk on grizzly bear management at Sondreson Hall on July 1 before the NFLA’s Business Meeting. His talks starts at 7PM. The Business Meeting starts at 8PM.
Tim was born in Great Falls, MT and went to college at Colorado State University where he graduated with a degree in Wildlife Biology. He moved back to Montana in 1981 and started mapping grizzly bear habitat for the Forest Service on the Kootenai in 1982. In 1984 Tim began working on the Cabinet Mtns grizzly program based out of Libby. Then in 1989, he started on the South Fork Grizzly Project.
Since 1993, Tim has been the Grizzly Bear Management Specialist for Montana FWP where he has been doing a great job minimizing conflicts between people and bears.
Come join your neighbors and friends to learn from Tim about grizzly bears in general, bears in our area, and get some tips on how to remove bear attractants.
Upcoming Bike Rides
Date: Sunday, June 25
Route: Camas Road to Apgar (and back) also known locally as the “Ride for Ice Cream”
Distance: 22 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous (three miles of uphill at the start of the return trip)
Meeting Time: 9:00 am at the parking area on the Camas Road by the stop sign you encounter less than a mile after crossing over the Camas Bridge from the North Fork Road
Date: Wednesday, June 28
Route: Upper Hawk Creek
Distance: 11 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Meeting Time: 9:00 am at the junction Red Meadow Road and the North Fork Road (Note: We will return in time for Wernick’s garden sale.)
Date: Friday, June 30
Route: Cyclone Notch to Big Creek
Distance: 16 miles
Difficulty: Moderate (a few small uphills, but mostly downhill)
Note: This ride requires a shuttle. Contact Valerie Cox at 406-570-7734 or vk.cox@icloud.com to arrange the shuttle.
Meeting Time: Meet at 9:30 am at the junction of the Big Creek Road #316 (just north of Big Creek Outdoor Center) and the North Fork Road to drop shuttle vehicles. From there we will drive to Cyclone Notch where the bike ride begins.
Hearing Set for Short Term Rental Zoning Proposal
The Daily Inter Lake has an article about the upcoming hearing. It begins… The zoning proposal to regulate short-term rental housing throughout much of Flathead County is the focus of a public hearing next week before the county commissioners. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 1, in the commissioners’ chambers on the third floor of the county courthouse in Kalispell.
The article goes on to say… The proposal no longer includes the North Fork area because guest cabins are a permitted use in the North Fork Zoning District.
Read the full Daily Inter Lake article here. For more information on what this is about, see Flathead County Short Term Rental Regulation Proposal – Summary
1st Aid and CPR Training with Certification Reminder
Although the May 30th 1st Aid and CPR training has been filled, openings are still available in the June 20th class.
On June 20th, Bob Lee is providing 1st Aid and CPR training with certification beginning at 9AM at Sondreson Hall, lasting most of the day. Please bring your lunch and drinks. The cost is $35. This class is limited to 10 individuals. Please contact Randy Kenyon at 752-5935 or kenyonnorthfork@gmail.com to reserve a spot.
Zoning regulations text amendment and meeting – UPDATE: CHECK OUT PAGE 2
UPDATE: Chris H. and some others pointed out that we failed to look at the back page of the agreement. So… we’ve added page two. You’ll want to check it out.
A message from Mark Mussman, CFM, Director dated January 5, 2017 and from Flathead County Planning and Zoning…
The Northwest Montana Association of Realtors has submitted a zoning regulations text amendment to allow short-term rentals, or vacation rentals, with the approval of an Administrative Conditional Use Permit in the following zoning districts: AG _ 80, AG-40, AG-20, SAG-10, SAGoS, R-2.S, R-I, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-S, RC-I, RA-I, Ashley Lake, Labrant/Lindsey Lane, Lakeside, North Fork, Rogers Lake, and West Valley.
The Flathead County Planning Board will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 6:00 P.M. in the 2nd floor conference of the South Campus Building located at 40 11th Street West, Kalispell, MT to consider this request. I have attached the proposed standards for Short-term Rental Housing submitted with the application for your review.
Please feel free to attend the hearing and submit comments. You may also submit written comments to the Department. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
NFLA 2017 Calendar
The NFLA Board of Directors is starting work on the 2017 NFLA calendar. The NFLA calendar includes events sponsored by the NFLA as well as other events at Sondreson Hall that are not sponsored by the NFLA (for example, a private party). If you would like to nominate an event, please send the information to the NFLA webmaster by clicking here.
We will use the NFLA Calendar page to coordinate dates. Please note, however, that events marked with an asterisk indicates a proposed date, not a final date. Our plan is to have the calendar finalized by mid March. If you see any information that is incorrect on the proposed 2017 calendar, please do not hesitate to get into contact with us.
Talk by Rick and Susie Graetz at Sondreson Hall
Rick and Susie Graetz bring a group of students from the University of Montana in Missoula to to the North Fork each January. As a part of their activities while on the North Fork, the Graetz make a presentation with beautiful photographs at Sondreson Hall. This year the presentation is on Monday, January 16, starting at 6:30PM. Please come enjoy this annual event, hear the Graetz, and meet the students.
Following is a letter from Susie Graetz talking about their upcoming visit and presentation… There is something about the holidays that makes me sit back and count my blessings.
Yesterday, while I was putting away the trappings of Christmas at the same time I was hauling out and checking off the gear we [she and her husband Rick Graetz) need to pack for our Polebridge Field Course, it dawned on me that this will be our 10th year of bringing students for a week to the amazing landscape you all are lucky to call home. Continue reading Talk by Rick and Susie Graetz at Sondreson Hall
Come Join Your Neighbors at Thanksgiving
The big news on the calendar this week is Thanksgiving at Sondreson Hall on Thursday, November 24th. Here is the announcement with details… Come join your North Fork neighbors at Sondreson Hall for our annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Turkey and ham will be provided. Please bring a side dish and your own table setting. The doors open at 3 p.m. and dinner is served at 4 p.m. Hosts: Steve & Christina Berg