Category: News

Red Meadow & Moose Creek Roads construction updates

Red Meadow Lake, June 12, 2021 - W. K. Walker
Red Meadow Lake, June 12, 2021 – W. K. Walker

(August 26) Here’s the latest information on the construction work scheduled for Red Meadow and Moose Creek roads from Rob Davies, Hungry Horse-Glacier View District Ranger…

I do not have a lot of details, contractors sometimes are not very precise with the timing of their work, but this is what I know.

There are two separate contracts on Red Meadow Rd and Moose Cr.

One contract is operating now, brushing 2 side roads off the Red Meadow Road. The main Red Meadow will have a brush-cutter working both side of the road starting this Friday 8/29.

The other contractor will be installing 5 culverts on Red Meadow and one at the end of Moose Cr Road. That contractor had to shift priorities based on material delivery and went to complete another project. The latest info we have is this: He was planning on mobilizing this week and starting work next Tuesday, Sept 2nd after the long weekend.

I’ll share more details if and when I receive updates.

Foothills mule deer migration …and more

Individual mule deer migration route (HD 101), May 7 - May 22, 2025 - Montana FWP
Individual mule deer migration route (HD 101), May 7 – May 22, 2025 – Montana FWP

This just arrived from Ethan Lula, Wildlife Biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP). The status of mule deer and other area large animal populations has been a hot topic at the past  several Interlocal meetings. Ethan provides some insight, as well as a link to a wealth of additional information . . .

I just wanted to share a highlight from some of the ongoing wildlife research in the area. This past winter, as part of a region-wide effort designed to evaluate the use of remote cameras to estimate elk and deer abundances in forested habitat, FWP captured 3 elk, 9 mule deer and 9 white-tailed deer in HD 101. The map [above] is from an adult doe mule deer that was captured along Foothills Rd, and is currently spending the summer about 40 miles, as the crow flies, in BC. This is one of the farthest migrations FWP has documented in the area, and took about 20 days to complete (May 7 – May 22), crossing the width of the Whitefish Range and the North Fork of the Flathead River. Very impressive and serves as an important reminder that our “local” wildlife populations are influenced by factors and interconnected at much larger spatial scales than we often realize.

If you want to learn more about the large mammal monitoring project, here is a link to the website where you will find background info, a YouTube video, and the annual reports:
https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/research/northwest-large-mammal-monitoring-project.

Press release: Culvert replacement projects begin on Red Meadow and Moose Creek Roads

Culvert replacement projects begin on Red Meadow Road 115 and Moose Creek Road 210C

Temporary traffic delays of up to four hours on Red Meadow Road

Kalispell, Mont., August 11, 2025 — Beginning as early as Tuesday, August 12, 2025, public access on Red Meadow Road (National Forest System Road 115) will have periodic delays to allow for a road and watershed improvement project. Between milepost 3.8 and 8.2, visitors can expect to encounter construction work with up to four hours delay every five hours to allow for the replacement of six culverts on Road 115. The culvert replacement project is expected to be completed in approximately two weeks, with a return to normal traffic patterns by the end of August 2025.

Between milepost 5.7 and 5.8, at the end of the Moose Creek Road (National Forest System Road 210C), one culvert will be replaced to improve water quality. This project is expected to be completed over the course of five consecutive days but will only temporarily impact public access to the terminus of the Moose Creek Road and access to Moose Creek Trail (National Forest System Trail 9).

For more information about the impacted road, please contact the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District office at (406) 387-3800.

North Fork bear report from Justine

Sow grizzly bear spotted near Camas in northwestern Montana. - Montana FWP
Sow grizzly bear spotted near Camas in northwestern Montana. – Montana FWP

Posted a few days to Facebook by Justine Vallieres, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Bear Manager, Region 1 . . .

Hey everyone, sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out, but I wanted to apologize for not being at the interlocal meeting as I had some things come up that week. I also was out of the state recently for a bit so I am finally getting around to reaching out.

I am currently research and augmentation trapping. I have traps up the Deadhorse and Coal drainage, and I am also trapping up Hay Creek. The road that connects Hay to Red Meadow is currently closed for research and augmentation trapping. The roads are signed, but wanted to give a heads up. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause!

As far as updates go for the interlocal meeting…we really did not have any conflicts up the North Fork this spring. It was just the normal reports of bears eating grass in yards. We know of at least one female with two yearlings and one female with three yearlings, and lots of individuals (to state the obvious), and also have one collared female for research up there.

There were no relocations of conflict bears up there this spring until last week. On July 25 there was an adult female relocated up whale Creek while I was away. She was caught on the east front near a cattle depredation, and was not the target bear. She is collared and has not been around homes.

That’s all I got for now! Thank you!

Larch that are turning brown should recover

Cross-posted from the North Fork Trails website . . .

Western larch leaves
Western larch leaves

Several folks have voiced alarm that a lot of larch are turning brown in the Red Meadow and Moose creek drainages. Elliott Meyer, Silviculture Forester for the Flathead National Forest’s Hungry Horse/Glacier View and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts, offered this explanation: Continue reading Larch that are turning brown should recover

First Aid/CPR/AED Course coming up Tuesday, July 22

First Aid/CPR/AED Class at Sondreson Hall, May 20, 2025 - W. K. Walker
First Aid/CPR/AED Class at Sondreson Hall, May 20, 2025 – W. K. Walker

Bob Lee will once again be giving his well-regarded First Aid/CPR/AED class in the North Fork this summer. It is an all-day course, starting at 9:00am and wrapping up by 4:00pm. The date is Tuesday, July 22. The course will be held at Sondreson Hall. Cost is $45/person. Bring your own lunch and drinks. Class size is limited to 10 people.

This class offers two-year American Heart Association (AHA) certification in First Aid, CPR and AED usage. If your job requires certified First Aid training, your current certification is expiring or if you just want to get up to speed on such things, this is an excellent way to get it done.

Contact Bill Walker, 406-407-2764 or wkwalker@nvdi.com to sign up for the course.

Initial wildland fire potential outlook for 2025

With the fire season starting early this year, it also looks to be a long duration for the Northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. Attached is a short four page writeup that explains the forecast for June through September.

The potential for 2025 is similar to the fire years of 2006 (although 2007 was more significant in the Flathead), 2017 and 2021.

What is different this year is that there is no indication of moisture moving in during September – where we usually see either a rainy season-slowing event, or a season-ending rain and snow.

The North Fork has dodged significant fire since 2003. The fires we have had since then have been well-managed and have not had the big runs we saw in 1988, 2001 and 2003.

Be prepared, and hope for the best.

Be sure to attend the Wildland Fire Awareness Training on June 19th, 10 a.m. at Sondreson Community Hall, and the Firewise Day on July 9th, 9:30 a.m. to noon before the Potluck and the Interlocal.

See also: Northern Rockies June July August September 2025 Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook (PDF format)

Issues for the 2025 North Fork Summer Interlocal

Some of the local and agency attendees at the Summer North Fork Interlocal Agreement Meeting on July 10, 2024 – W. K. Walker

In case some of you are North Fork residents/landowners, but are not on the Interlocal mailing list, Here’s a copy of a recent email about submitting local issues and concerns for discussion at the meeting…

Hi, folks.

This year’s Summer 2025 Interlocal  Agreement Meeting is hosted by the North Fork Landowners Association on July 9, 1:00pm, at Sondreson Hall. It is preceded by the annual Firewise meeting at 9:30am and lunch at noon.

For those of you new to this, Interlocal meetings are held twice each year, winter and summer. These semi-annual get-togethers are intended to encourage open discussion between North Fork landowners and neighbors, and local, state and federal agencies. In other words, it’s a big deal if you have an interest in the North Fork.

As a convenience (it’s not required), I’m serving as a central point of contact for issues that North Fork organizations and individuals would like to see addressed by the various government agencies represented at the meeting. If you’ll send me your issues via email to wkwalker@nvdi.com by the afternoon of Wednesday, June 25, I’ll see to it that they get passed on to the various organizations in enough time for them to prepare their presentations.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

Bill

Two Bear Air at Sondreson Hall, Sun, June 8, 6:30pm

This Sunday, June 8th, at 6:30pm, Two Bear Air will be present at the NFLA membership meeting! Please join us for a demonstration and discussion at Sondreson Community Hall.

Note on parking: Please park close to the building, or along the North Fork Road. Do not park at the end of the parking lot closest to the road! this will allow room for the helicopter to land.