Committees – Page 27

Weed Resources to Download

In March of 2015 Flathead National Forest, CHS, and others sponsored workshops focusing on weed identification, plant physiology, non-chemical control options, understanding chemical labels, calibrating equipment, weed law and safety. Richard Hildner and Suzanne Daniel attended and picked up some very helpful materials indeed. Check them out and download from the Weeds Committee page.

Update on the Coal Ridge Cabin

Andy Huntsberger, Assistant Fire Management Officer – Operations, Flathead National Forest sent in an update on work they have been doing at the Coal Ridge Cabin. Here is a timeline:

2012 we put a new roof on and installed a new wood stove and pipe
2014 installed all new siding (donated be the Northwest Montana Forest Fire Lookout Association), new coat of stain and all new glass
2015 we plan on finishing/second coat of stain and possibly replacing some floor boards

Andy goes on to say… When I was at the Cabin last summer I read the entries in the visitor log and it was all very positive and informative. The Cabin is currently being used as a day shelter for hikers and at this time we do not plan on changing this. We could and would post someone at this cabin, if needed, during a wildfire event. However, on a regular and reoccurring basis we plan on leaving it open to the public. It is 3.5 mile hike and a decent pull to the site, ideally this will deter any vandalism. We encourage the public to visit and enjoy this site.

Finally, Andy sent some photographs of the Coal Ridge Cabin, before and after work. Here they are:

North Fork History Project Takes a Leap Forward

Several years ago, members of the NFLA History Committee began to interview and record the stories of people who have been in the North Fork for a long time. Folks talk about what the North Fork was like when they arrived, going to school on the North Fork, encounters with bears, moose, and bobcats and much more. At this point there are 17 recordings that can be downloaded from the NFLA website at nflandowners.org/north-fork-history-project/.

Recently, the history project took a major step forward when Chris Graff and Monica Phillips volunteered to pay for written transcripts from these interviews. They came up with this idea as a way to support the history project and make the interviews accessible to more people. Thanks to Chris and Monica for their generous donation! The interviews can now be read on the website.

To make the history page even more interesting, Patti Hart has added photographs of those who have been interviewed and those who have been featured in North Fork short stories.

So check out the new and improved North Fork History Project page.

Fire Mitigation Committee Report, Late Winter 2015

2015 Firewise Day

The North Fork has been recognized as a Firewise Community for ten years. One of the requirements for continuing recognition is holding an annual Firewise Day event. The North Fork’s annual Firewise workshops have been informative and well-attended, covering a range of wildfire and stewardship topics.

This year, the NFLA’s Fire Mitigation Committee will sponsor its Firewise workshop on Wednesday, July 15 2015 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, immediately preceding the Summer Interlocal meeting. Although plans for the event are not yet complete, the committee expects to show a video of fire behavior during the 2014 Pacific Northwest fire season. Tentatively, presenters will include Lincoln Chute, Flathead County Fire Service Area Manager, and committee co-chair Allen Chrisman. We’ll probably also hear updates from the agency representatives with whom we work. More information about the program will be posted on the NFLA website when the agenda is final.

Hazardous Fuels Grants

Since the fires of 2003, the Fire Mitigation Committee has helped numerous private landowners treat hazardous forest fuels on their properties by obtaining cost-share grants. The grants have paid 75% of the cost of an eligible project and the landowner has contributed the remaining 25%.

We are currently working on our fourth grant, this one in the amount of $91,000. One of our priorities for the grant is to reduce fuel accumulations along the lower stretch of Trail Creek Road, where it passes through private property. Treating fuels there will improve ingress and egress for landowners, allow safer access for firefighters, and afford an escape route over the Whitefish Divide. Committee members are contacting landowners to discuss the program and to determine their interest in participation.

Lincoln Chute has obtained approval from the Flathead County commissioners to use a county chipper to help dispose of slash generated along Trail Creek Road. We’ll need to show substantial, wide-spread benefit to warrant use of the equipment. Landowners also will need to cut slash material to size and align it along the roadside to facilitate handling.

More information about participation in the grant program is available from Bill Swope, who may be reached at 406-250-9812 or at bhswope@gmail.com.

Ed “Mac” McNeil Passed

Last Sunday, February 8th, long time North Forker Ed “Mac” McNeil passed away. Mac and his wife Cecily bought land near Dutch Creek in Glacier National Park in the early 60s. They later bought 103 acres and built a cabin on the other side of the river near Moose Creek and lived there during the summers.

Mac and Cecily were early members of the North Fork Improvement Association which turned into the North Fork Landowners Association of today. They also worked to get a zoning petition and helped to found the North Fork Compact in 1973 in an effort to save the North Fork from development.

North Forkers have fond memories of events and square dances with Mac McNeil, Cecily, and their two sons Alan and Bruce. Mac will be missed.

If you are interested in hearing more about the North Fork from Mac and Cecily, there are audio interviews with them both on the North Fork History Project web page. You can get to that by clicking here.

There is also an excellent obituary provided by the Daily Inter Lake.

Fire Mitigation Committee Report, Fall 2014

2014 Firewise Day

The North Fork Landowners’ Association’s Fire Mitigation Committee held its annual Firewise Day workshop on July 16, 2014. The theme of the workshop was “Wildfires Happen: Take Action! Plan. Prepare. Prevent.”

The program began with a powerful DVD about recent major fires in Colorado, with a segment on the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona in 2013. Several outstanding presentations followed. Angela Mallon, Stewardship Specialist with the Montana DNRC’s Forestry Division, used model simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of various fuel treatments. North Fork landowner Larry Kinsolving described the restoration work that he and his wife Ruth are doing on their property in the aftermath of the Wedge Canyon Fire in 2003. The title of his presentation was “Closing the Ring: Fire, Restoration and Beyond.”

The forty attendees heard updates about North Fork activities from representatives of the U. S. Forest Service and the DNRC. They also learned about the status of the North Fork’s current hazardous fuels mitigation grants. Finally, they were given an overview of the Firesafe Montana program by Jennifer LaManna, Firesafe’s Executive Director.

Sondreson Community Hall Hazardous Fuels Project

The North Fork Landowners’ Association applied for and received a hazardous fuels reduction grant for work around Sondreson Community Hall. North director Allen Chrisman, who also serves as co-chair of the Fire Mitigation Committee, lined out the project. The objective was to remove surface and ladder fuels and to provide space between the crowns of the remaining trees.

Nineteen volunteers contributed a total of 81 hours and the use of equipment to the Hall project. They sought to minimize soil disturbance and visual impacts, leaving strong, healthy trees in place. The project was completed in late May 2014 and has been well-received by the community.

Hazardous Fuels Grants

The DNRC awarded the North Fork its fourth hazardous fuels grant in the Fall of 2013, this one in the amount of $91,000. As with our three previous grants, monies are available on a cost-share basis, with the grant paying 75% of the cost and the landowner contributing the remaining 25%.

A priority of the new grant is to reduce fuel accumulations along the lower segment of Trail Creek Road, where it passes through private property. Treating the fuels will provide significant benefits, among them improving ingress and egress for landowners, allowing safer access for firefighters, and affording an escape route over the Whitefish Divide in the event of a large fire or other catastrophic event in the lower North Fork Valley.

The Fire Mitigation Committee is working collaboratively with private landowners, the Forest Service and Flathead County on the Trail Creek Road project.

2014 Fire Wise Day

For eleven years (since the Wedge Canyon Fire in 2003, the NFLA has had a very active Fire Mitigation Committee. Each summer, the committee hosts a Fire Wise Day at the Hall to help inform landowners about what they can do on their property to mitigate the effects of catastrophic wildfire. Grants have been available to help landowners with reducing fuels around their homes. This year’s Fire Wise program began with a staggering film about the devastating wildfires that have plagued Colorado in recent years. This film covered some of the causes of those fires and the conditions that control the options that fire managers have in fighting huge wildfires. The overwhelming message of the film is that if you choose to live in a fire-prone area, you will eventually have to deal with the consequences. The remainder of the program focused on research concerning adequate distance between trees in thinning projects and the Kinsolving’s restoration project since the Wedge Canyon Fire. Molly Shepherd and Allen Chrisman received an award from Fire Safe Montana for their leadership with the NFLA Fire Mitigation Committee.