During this Sunday’s NFLA membership meeting, there will be a silent auction of items discovered during last month’s Sondreson Hall attic clean-out. Proceeds will go toward replacing our antique digital projector, which doesn’t work with any computer built within the last decade.
Don’t forget the North Fork Fuels Reduction Field Trip Wednesday, June 15 beginning at Mark and Margaret Heaphy’s place, 11530 North Fork Road at 0930. While there we will talk about fuel modification around structures, and the work that has been done in the North Fork in response to our large fires.
Bring a bag lunch to enjoy at Sondreson Community Hall, while NRCS District Conservationist Sean Johnson goes over the Wedge Canyon TIP project – where grant funding is available to landowners not only within the Wedge Canyon Fire Area, but all forested landowners from Teepee Creek/Ford Work Station north to the Canadian Border. He will cover not only the project area and types of work that qualifies, but also the application process. Continue reading North Fork Fuels Reduction Field Trip, Wednesday, June 15
Greetings everyone. Here is our first Outlook that can give us a reasonable hint of what the fire season might look like. The good news is that the forecast looks like a “normal” fire season for Northwest Montana – which of course includes the North Fork.
The bad news, of course, is that the rest of Montana, especially east of the Divide, is looking at potentially being significantly above normal wildland fire potential.
The caution for us is that even with the cool spring, and increased snowpack over the past month or two, those factors are transitory. That is, if we wind up turning off hot and dry in early July, the positive effects that the cool, wet spring we had will dissipate quickly. We had that a few years ago, and meteorologists called it a “Flash Drought.” It was not forecasted that summer and caught the meteorologists by surprise. They apologized the next spring for having told us we would have a “Slow Normal” fire season…
So, we need to prepare for a reasonably active fire season, as normal. One factor of course, is that resources will be spread thin with potentially a lot of activity elsewhere in the Northern Rockies, and around the Country.
While these Outlooks are useful, there are limits to their accuracy. The July Outlook will give us a better look at the conditions going into July, and the weather systems that might affect the rest of our fire season.
Stay tuned.
Thanks to all! Remember our Fuels Field Trip on June 15, and our Firewise Day on July 13.
The North Fork Land Use Advisory sub-committee members have completed their monumental efforts and now present the revised North Fork Neighborhood Plan draft zoning text amendment for review. Attached you will find four documents: a summary of the revision process; an overview of the changes made; the draft text amendment; and finally the agenda for a North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee (NFLUAC) meeting on June 2nd, 6:00pm, at Sondreson Hall. We ask that you carefully review the draft text amendment and attend this meeting with your questions and comments. We are following the county process and hopefully, at the conclusion of the June 2nd meeting, the committee will vote for submittal to the planning office for a staff report, triggering additional opportunities for comment. If you are unable to participate in this meeting or need further information, or if you know someone who is unaware of the committee’s work and might be interested, please contact me. We hope to hear from you!
Camas Road in Glacier NP as seen from Glacier View Mtn, April 16, 2017 – W. K. Walker
Here’s some information a lot of folks have been waiting for, received late in the afternoon on May 27 from Pete Webster, Deputy Superintendent of Glacier Park . . .
An update from Jim Dahlstrom, North Fork District Ranger concerning Camas Road Bypass permits (continue the reading the main article for more details): “The passes will be here at the station by the end of the day [Saturday, May 28]… Ideally, [North Forkers] …would present themselves in person during business hours where we record their vehicle information, etc. and then get them their pass. Since I don’t have the packet in front of me right now, I don’t have many more details on the program logistics. But it shouldn’t be too onerous.”
Welcome to Summer!
Now that we have begun the vehicle reservation system, I want to share with you what we are calling the Camas Road Bypass permit. This is the access we committed to for this season to allow immediate park neighbors, with justifiable needs, a chance to use the Camas Road for thru traffic without a vehicle reservation.
Polebridge Bear Smart training session, Home Ranch Bottoms, May 26, 2022
PBBS Program Coordinator Suzanne Hildner reports . . .
The Polebridge Bear Smart (PBBS) Committee would like to announce a very successful first Polebridge Employee Training session at Home Ranch Bottoms this afternoon. We had 12 participants who were from all across the country and with a couple of exceptions all new to living and recreating in bear country. Many had already seen a bear. They were a really fantastic audience, polite, engaged and asked excellent questions. Most were already in possession of bear spray.The entire event lasted a little over an hour. Thanks to all who helped make this happen. Next training is June 4th.
Bob Lee will be giving his well-regarded First Aid/CPR/AED class in the North Fork again this spring. It is an all-day course, starting at 9:00am. The date is Tuesday, May 24. The course will be held at Sondreson Hall. Cost will be $45/person.
If it has been two years or more since you took this course, you need to take it again in order to maintain your certification.
Course size limit is 10 people! Contact Bill Walker (wkwalker@nvdi.com or 406-407-2764) if you wish to attend.
Note! Like last time, the certification cards will be distributed electronically. The folks sending the cards insist that every recipient have a unique email address. I.e., if you share an email address with someone else and you are both attending the course, one of you would need to pick up a second address. I can hand out temporary course email addresses if needed, just let me know. Also note that the emails sometimes get misdirected to spam, so it is important to keep an eye out for that.
Two Bear Air will be conducting training at the Demers Ridge gravel pit from this Friday (May 13) through Thursday (May 19). Signs will be posted and helo operations will occur both day and night.
They’re just doing their own training, running scenarios in the gravel pit such as rolled vehicles and medical response.
[ The entrance to the Demers gravel pit was already blocked off this afternoon. ]
Dr. Walter Melvin Roberts III, a classics scholar and all-around good guy, died on August 29, 2021. Walter is survived by his brother Anthony, extended family, and many close friends who were like family. Aged 62, Walter passed from heart failure suddenly in his home in Detroit, Michigan, where he was born and raised. He was also a regular in Polebridge, Montana. A professor of Greek and Latin, Walter discovered Polebridge around 1985 as a place of solitude, study, teaching, and community. He loved jumping in the North Fork, exploring the environs, and cycling to Bowman and Kintla. Several times, he MC’ed Polebridge’s famous 4th-of-July parade. North Forkers read and discussed the classics with Walter, whose laugh and smile were welcoming and infectious.
A celebration of Walter’s life is planned for Sunday, May 15, 2022 . . .
There will be a reading of Plato’s Symposium at 9:30am at the North Fork Hostel. Please RSVP to Randi Rognlie (rjrognlie@gmail.com) if you plan to attend this event.
A Walter Roberts Memorial is scheduled for 1:00pm at Sondreson Hall. Share stories, pictures, & memories of our friend & scholar. A main dish will be provided. Bring a side or dessert to share. Contact Randi Rognlie (rjrognlie@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
Justine Valieres, Wildlife Conflict Specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 1)
A note posted to Facebook this morning from our new Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Conflict Management Specialist, Justine Vallieres . . .
Hey North Forkers! I just wanted to pop in and do a quick introduction of myself. As most of you know, Tim Manley retired from FWP after 37 years of grizzly bear management. I was lucky enough to be his technician these last 4 years so I learned from the best! I applied this winter for the Wildlife Conflict Management Specialist position and was offered the position and started in March. So I will now be covering the North Fork. So if you have any mountain lion, black bear or grizzly bear conflicts please give me a call. My number is Tim’s old work cell which is 406-250-1265.
On another note, there have been a handful of reports from the North Fork area recently of grizzly sightings, some in yards. Please remember that if you do have a bear in your yard (black or grizz), please make them leave. This is so crucial that they learn that being around people and homes is not OK or safe. I know we all enjoy viewing wildlife, but it’s really important to remember that the more they hang around homes, the more comfortable they get, which can lead to habituation. We don’t want to give them the opportunity to snoop around and get into stuff, but we also do not want to create habituated bears where they are no longer wary of people. You personally may be tolerant of a bear in your yard, but other people may not be so tolerant, which could ultimately end up in the bear being hurt or killed.
So if you have bears in your yard, from a safe place, yell at them in a deep tone and tell them to move along. The human voice is the best deterrent, as we are “danger” to them. Bang pots and pans, set off car alarms, use air horns etc. Please refrain from shooting as we want to avoid any potential accidents and bears get used to hearing gunshots. If you have continuously tried to make a bear leave and it shows no interest in doing so please give me a call.
Thank you for helping keep the North Fork and its wildlife wild! I look forward to meeting many of you and seeing some familiar faces this season!
During this Sunday’s NFLA membership meeting, there will be a silent auction of items discovered during last month’s Sondreson Hall attic clean-out. Proceeds will go toward replacing our antique digital projector, which doesn’t work with any computer built within the last decade.
Bob Lee will be giving his well-regarded First Aid/CPR/AED class in the North Fork again this spring. It is an all-day course, starting at 9:00am. The date is Tuesday, May 24. The course will be held at Sondreson Hall. Cost will be $45/person.
