Area wildfire status, morning of July 31st

Hello, everyone.

This is a summary of local wildfire issues based on information from Lynn Ogle and various other resources. No agency had issued any press releases at the time I put this together at 0720…

Glacier Park: Flattop Mountain Fire, 0.10 acres; initial report 29 July.

Flathead NF: Two hot-spots along the ridgetop in last year’s Hay Creek burn; FNF is sending a ground crew in to check it out; initial report 30 July. (See image below.)

Kootenai NF: Weasel Fire (sometimes called “D3 Weasel”), on the east slope of a ridge to the west of Weasel Creek. It was about 7 acres in extent initially on 30 July, is now 13.50 acres, and is being handled by the Kootenai National Forest. According to Bill Fordyce, “The Kootenai has put a lot of resources on the Weasel Fire. It’s a 10 plus acres. Some of that area burned 5 or 6 years ago so there would be standing dead and down…”

Bill


Approximate position, according to Zoom Earth, of the two hotspots in last year’s Hay Creek burn. The nearest is about 6.5 miles west of Polebridge. We should know more once Flathead NF gets some people up there to look around…
(look for the kind of orangy glows near the left edge of the image. Those spots are *not* to scale, they just indicate rough positions!)

Hay Creek Hotspots, approximate postions, 31 July 22
Hay Creek Hotspots, approximate postions, 31 July 22

GNP bridge construction projects begin July 18

According to the official press release, the bridge work in Glacier Park starts off with a couple of items on the “Inside North Fork Road”…

Glacier National Park is starting a construction project to rehabilitate 13 bridges throughout the park. The work will take place over the next two years with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the Federal Lands Transportation Program.

The improvements to the bridges will include bridge deck and approach repairs, timber pile replacement and repairs, timber curb replacement, painting, concrete repair, stone masonry repairs, erosion control measures, and more.

Construction begins on two Inside North Fork Road bridges on July 18. The Inside North Fork Road is managed for a rustic experience and is currently open to vehicles in certain sections and provides pedestrian, bicycle, and emergency vehicular access in other sections. Visitors will have pedestrian and bicycle access to Dutch Creek, Anaconda Creek, and Camas Creek.

The Fish Creek Bridge will have limited delays in traffic until it is fully closed to motorized, pedestrian, and bicycle access on September 6, 2022, after Fish Creek Campground closes for the year.

Read more . . .

Reminder! First Aid/CPR/AED course next week; only three slots left!

First Aid SignageFor those of you who missed it in May, Bob Lee will be giving his well-regarded First Aid/CPR/AED class in the North Fork again this summer. It is an all-day course, starting at 9:00am. The date is Tuesday, July 12. The course will be held at Sondreson Hall. Cost will be $45/person. (Make checks out to Red Tail Education and Research.)

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 emails sometimes get misdirected to spam, so it is important to keep an eye out for that.

Bear Resistant Containers Available for Loan or Purchase

Grizzly trying to open Kodiak Can
Grizzly trying to open Kodiak Can

NFPA/Polebridge Bear Smart is offering Kodiak brand 96 gallon bear resistant garbage containers for loan or purchase at a reduced price. This opportunity is being made to the Polebridge community with the help of grants and private donations.

Purchase price per canister is $300.
Canister Loan Program fee is on an able-to-pay basisCans are available now!

Kodiak Can

Please contact Suzanne Hildner sdhildner@icloud.com or (406) 253-3263 to purchase or rent.

Help the Polebridge Community be BEAR SMART!!

Proposed bylaw amendments available online

The Board of Directors spent quite a bit of time over the winter reviewing the NFLA bylaws. As a result, a total of six amendments to the bylaws will be formally proposed and opened for discussion at the general meeting on July 10, 2022. These amendments will be voted on by the membership at the August 14, 2022 meeting.

The proposed amendments can be viewed/downloaded here. This is the same material that was made available in printed form at the June 12 meeting.

Get those issues in! North Fork Interlocal meeting, 1:00pm, July 13th at the hall!

Sondreson Hall by Gerry StearnsThe Summer 2022 Interlocal Agreement Meeting is at 1:00pm, on Wednesday, July 13 at Sondreson Community Hall. This summer’s  Interlocal is hosted by the North Fork Landowners’ Association (NFLA). It follows the annual Firewise meeting at 9:30am. Lunch is at noon, with the NFLA providing the main course. If you wish, bring a side dish or desert to share.

Continue reading Get those issues in! North Fork Interlocal meeting, 1:00pm, July 13th at the hall!

Flooding not an issue in the North Fork so far

From Mark Heaphy at 7:58am on June 15 . . .

The North Fork Patrol checked properties for flooding yesterday and all are currently not threatened. One owner adjacent to a creek was notified about a potential concern.

The river is forecast to crest again at the border this weekend but not at flood stage.

More information . . .
Current and forecast river levels, North Fork Flathead River
Flood information links

Ford Schoolhouse preservation work continues

Ford Schoolhouse after tree removal
Ford Schoolhouse after tree removal

This past week, a Forest Service fire crew removed a number of trees posing a threat to the historic Ford Schoolhouse. According to Forest Service Archeologist Ryan Powell, a Youth Conservation Corps crew will do further clearing at the site in July. In September, the Forest Service historic preservation team out of Missoula plans to reinstall the windows that have been stripped of their lead-based paint, do further foundation work, and replace the existing metal roof with a shake roof. The schoolhouse was originally constructed in 1917-1918. Continue reading Ford Schoolhouse preservation work continues

Attic clean-out silent auction this Sunday

Sondreson Hall by Gerry StearnsDuring 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.

Here’s the list of items, as well as photos of most. (Note: This auction is only for stuff found in the attic; we’re not accepting any additional items.) . . . Continue reading Attic clean-out silent auction this Sunday