A big crowd of dancers met at the Hall last Friday to learn (or review) the basic steps for Waltz and Two Step. Many first-time dancers were there and by the end of the class, everyone could waltz and two step!
Weekly classes will resume on Friday nights in December leading up to the New Year’s Eve Party. Classes will start on Friday, December 7. [Only one week will the class have to shift to Thursday because Christmas Caroling will be happening on Friday night.] Beginners are always welcome!
December Dance Class Dates: December 7 (Friday), December 13 (Thursday), December 21 (Friday), December 28 (Friday).
Smiles, laughter and holiday greetings mingled with delicious aromas Thursday at Sondreson Hall. Steve and Christina Berg along with Mark and Margaret Heaphy graciously hosted the Polebridge community Thanksgiving Dinner attended by more than 100 neighbors and friends. Guests came from all over the Northwest and points beyond to celebrate here in Polebridge.
The hall welcomed us with a harvest themed display of straw bales, pumpkins and cornstalks on the porch and candlelit tables. Beautiful snowflakes fell intermittently throughout the evening adding to the rustic charm.
Dinner was served promptly at 4pm after Mark Heaphy offered thanks for the blessings we enjoy. Three Hutterite turkeys and a ham headlined the menu and North Fork cooks filled every remaining inch of the buffet line with fabulous side dishes, breads and salads. The dessert table boasted many local favorites including Ray Hart’s pecan pie and Joe Novak’s chocolate mousse. Neighbors enjoyed visiting and a chance to catch up with those we hadn’t seen over the summer. We sampled each other’s cooking and made multiple trips to the dessert table.
This annual tradition is a wonderful reminder to stop and be thankful for our community, neighbors and the wonderful valley in which we live. Many thanks Bergs and Heaphy’s and everyone who contributed to create another special North Fork holiday memory.
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.
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
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!
Following is an article that was sent by our good North Fork neighbor, Karina Pettey…
Whale Butte fire | photo by Amy Secrest
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
There is good news in the September/October/November National Wildland Fire Outlook that resonates with what we have seen in the North Fork. They accurately captured the season-slowing event we had on August 27 where we had widespread precip of 0.20” to 0.50” and snow on the mountains. As you all saw, that coupled with seasonal trend to shorter burning period, cooler temperatures especially overnight, and higher relative humidity recovery overnight has significantly changed fire behavior, even though we saw premature curing of grasses and shrubs (the early color change was based more on drought than photo period in my mind).
We have returned to “Normal” fire behavior forecast for Northwestern Montana for the forecast period. “The latest climate outlooks forecast the entire region to have above average temperatures and near-average precipitation for the period from September through November.” It appears that there may be a higher fire risk in Eastern Montana, but for us a return to Normal is very good. So, while it would be nice for us to see a forecast for a season-ending event in the next few weeks, in reality I think we are going to slide gradually out of fire season. I would be surprised if we see any return to significant fire indices in the Flathead. That doesn’t preclude some moderately warm temperatures and strong winds from a passing dry cold front that would cause any active fire to get up and run for a few hours with available fuels. I don’t believe we have that potential in either Whale Butte or Coal Ridge, but a new start in heavy, dry fuels could be a problem, but I think that would be a relatively uncommon event.
All in all, a good forecast for us. And we might have some good fall weather for outdoor work and burning, once we get out of fire season!
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.
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.
Great turnout for the Fire Training at the Hall last Thursday with some 25 people in attendance!
Gary Mahugh did an excellent job going over some of the fundamentals. Thanks to Dick Leigh for being the energy behind this. And thanks to Janet Leigh for the potluck pulled pork main dish!
We’ll be thinking about hosting a similar session next June, and include it on the calendar if there is interest.
The August 1st National Wildfire Outlook Potential is very consistent with what has been forecasted before and what we are seeing up the North Fork. Bottom line for us is that we will see an above average August and September in terms of fire activity. No real relief during that period, however the forecast is confident that the season will close out in late September/early October, which is a relief.
We received just a little bump of moisture a week ago – but all that did was extend the live fuel moistures for a week or so. We’ll be curing out fast without additional precip, and at some point the minor amounts (less than a quarter of an inch) will not do much at all. I was on the Kootenai Forest this week, and we need to feel fortunate in the North Fork that we have relatively moist fuels. They don’t, and the number of fires they are staffing reflects that.
Stay watchful – water what you can, keep your grass mowed and trimmed, and watch for smoke.
