Greetings! You are all cordially invited to the next North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee meeting being held Tuesday March 9th at 6:00pm at Sondreson Hall. The text Amendment Sub Committee will be updating their progress. Your involvement is crucial to the success of this important endeavor to help preserve the North Fork we all know and love. Thank you.
Randy Kenyon
Chair, NFLUAC
Category: News
North Fork Patrol News
A note from Mark Heaphy . . .
The North Fork Patrol is finishing up checking and/or skiing into all properties that were signed up (about 140). Last month’s windstorm blew down many trees and if damage occurred, the property owner was notified. Be prepared for downed trees across entry roads or on properties when you return in spring or summer.
North Valley Rescue will be conducting winter training in the vicinity of Trail Creek and Kintla Ranch on Saturday, February 27th. Two Bear Air may be conducting ops in the area mid to late morning. If you have questions please contact Mark Heaphy.
Scoping begins for North Fork Road easement near border
As some of you may recall from last summer’s Interlocal, Flathead County discovered, after 100+ years, that the North Fork Road has no official easement through a section of state land near the border. This means they have to buy access from Montana DNRC. *And* that means DNRC has to scope out the sale, including a public comment period. (They were going to ride the Forest Service’s coattails on this as part of the overall North Fork Road FLAP grant work, but USFS was moving too slowly.)
Anyway… Below are the materials DNRC sent out Friday, January 4. If you have any questions or comments on this proposed easement, please contact Dave Ring at dring@mt.gov or by calling 406-881-2663. Comments must be received no later than December 18, 2020 to be considered.
Cover Letter
Map of Requested Easement
General Area Map
Also, the Daily Inter Lake posted a good article on this issue: “Land Board to consider easement for North Fork Road project“
COVID-19: Sondreson Hall Use Restrictions and Guidelines – max capacity now 25
The governor has tightened up the state’s pandemic-related restrictions, effective November 20, 2020. The only impact locally is to reduce Sondreson Hall’s maximum capacity from 50 to 25. Everything else remains the same. Here are the updated “Sondreson Hall Use Restrictions and Guidelines” . . .
The following restrictions, guidelines and notices apply to the use of Sondreson Hall under Montana’s “Phase 2” COVID-19 management plan, the November 17, 2020 “Directive on Group Size and Capacity,” and in accordance with Montana’s mask directive:
The maximum number of people in the hall at any given time is 25. For a given event, up to 25 chairs will be set up, dispersed as widely as practical. If there are no empty seats available, please do not enter the hall until someone else leaves. If the event requires tables, they should be dispersed as widely as practical (ideally at least 6 feet apart) with no more than six individuals seated at each table.
Face coverings are required within the hall for all individuals with the following exceptions:
- Children under the age of five. All children between the ages of two and four, however, are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering. Children under the age of two should not wear a face covering.
- Persons who have a medical condition precluding the safe wearing of a face covering.
- Other exceptions as defined in the Governor’s July 15, 2020 Mask Directive.
No food sharing beyond family groups except under specific circumstances. The exception is when food is distributed in a serving line with the individuals handing out the food using appropriate protection (masks and gloves).
During clean-up after events, please follow the disinfection guidelines posted throughout the hall:
“Please use spray bottle solution to disinfect all surfaces, including tables, counters, the lectern, the stovetop, and the sink area. Also wipe down any chairs that were used during the event. Disposable gloves are provided. The solution contains bleach so be careful with your clothing. Thank you for helping us keep our members and guests safe.”
Hand sanitizer is available several places throughout the hall. Please use it as needed.
If needed, disposable masks are available at the hall. The suggested donation for a mask is $1.00, but do not hesitate to use a mask just because you don’t have a dollar handy.
(To view or download this information as a printable PDF, click here.)
Flathead National Forest seeks input on winter recreation events and guiding services
Since there was a considerable kerfuffle last spring over outfitting and guiding permits in the North Fork, I thought I’d pass along the press release I received this morning concerning permits for winter activities. As near as I can tell, the only thing planned for our part of the North Fork is a series of guided snowshoe trips up the back side of Glacier View peak (Glacier View Mountain Trails #381 & 381.1). This probably won’t happen because most of #381.1 has been closed since the Robert Fire – someone didn’t do their homework.
Anyway, the deadline for comments is November 6. The press release has links to more detailed information.
Flathead National Forest seeks input on winter recreation events and guiding services
Kalispell, MT October 16, 2020 – The Flathead National Forest is accepting public comment on winter 2020/21 recreation events and temporary outfitting and guiding activities across the forest. The activities would take place between December 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021.
The events and activities include things like a cross-country ski event, avalanche training, snowmobile and snow bike tours, and guided skiing, among others.
The Forest Service authorizes these types of activities to expand recreation access to the public and provide tourism jobs for the local economy.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have four seasons of outstanding outdoor offerings,” said Flathead National Forest Supervisor Kurt Steele. “Whether you head out with your friends and family or take advantage of a more structured opportunity offered by a guide or planned event, there is something here for everyone.”
The Forest Service issues permits for these activities based on a “user day” which means that one person on a guided trip would be counted as one user day. Ten people on a one-day trip would be counted as ten user days for example.
Based upon preliminary analysis, the Flathead National Forest anticipates these projects fall within the Forest Service category of actions under 36 CFR 220.8 that may be excluded in either an environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS) and that no extraordinary circumstances exist which would preclude use of this category. Scoping comments along with additional review will determine whether these projects can be categorically excluded. These projects are specifically consistent with category 36 CFR 220.6(d)(8): Approval, modification, or continuation of minor, short-term (1 year or less) special uses of National Forest System lands.
Additional information and maps for all the projects can be found on the Flathead National Forest website. The Forest will update the website with additional information about the status of each permit as it is reviewed by specialists and any permits are issued. The public should submit comments by November 6, 2020 to comments-northern-flathead@usda.gov.
Frozen Moose forest management project planning nears completion
From the official press release . . .
October 15, 2020 Kalispell, MT–Flathead National Forest announced today that the Frozen Moose forest and fuels management project has moved to the next phase of its planning process with the release of the draft decision notice.
The draft decision proposes 8,077 acres of vegetation treatments to reduce forest fuels, improve forest health conditions, and provide forest products for the local economy. The whole project area evaluated is approximately 151,000 acres, of which 3,180 acres are proposed for commercial timber harvest, 4,897 acres are proposed for noncommercial vegetation treatments, and 89 percent of proposed treatments are within the wildland-urban interface.
The project would also improve aquatic habitat by replacing and removing culverts and restoring approximately three miles of old road to forest condition. It would add 13 miles of historical road back to the forest’s road system. Those roads would be made impassable after project completion. The project would also construct 6.4 miles of temporary road to be used for project activities and then restored back to forest condition. Public motorized access would not change in the area.
The project area includes the North Fork community north of Polebridge, MT, which has seen significant wildfire activity and community evacuations over the last thirty years.
The forest has received numerous formal and informal comments about the project since the project team first asked for public input in the winter of 2019/20. The public scoping period for the environmental assessment this summer received 17 comments. Other feedback was gathered during a virtual public meeting, Forest Service attendance at other community meetings, and site visits with adjacent landowners.
The commenters were supportive of the forest fuels management work, concerned about potential impacts to grizzly bears and bull trout, and wanting to see either more or less timber harvest than was proposed.
This week, the project enters an objection period, which is required by U.S. Forest Service regulation. The 45-day administrative review period allows people who have previously submitted timely, specific written comments during any designated opportunity for public comment to file an objection to the draft decision.
More information about the project can be found on the forest’s website.
Almost out of the woods for Fire Season 2020
Cross-posted from Facebook . . .
Well, we are almost out of the woods for Fire Season 2020 in the Northern Rockies. We have areas of dry fuel with potential in Eastern Montana, although the forecast is for normal fire potential across the Geographic Area.
Our rainfall in Northwest Montana on September 24 and 25 provided significant relief, but the warmer daytime temperatures leave us with some potential. More moisture will help a lot. Note there are other parts of the country that will continue to have active fire seasons.
This will be the last Outlook I post until Spring 2021. Feel free to access the monthly updates on your own, posted the first of each month.
Wait for a bit more before burning your piles, unless you enjoy chasing skunking fires. And when you do burn, be sure and know what the wind is going to do. Thanks, and be safe out there!
Annual NFLA food drive collection for local food banks, Oct 11
REMINDER: This Sunday, October 11, 8:00pm, is the year’s last NFLA general membership meeting. We will, as usual, be collecting non-perishable food items for distribution to the local food banks. This year, donations will go to the Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry. If you can’t make the meeting, you can give items to someone who plans to attend.
(Note: There is no 7pm pre-meeting presentation this month. Everything starts at 8pm at Sondreson Hall.)
Zoning appeal withdrawn; no need to attend Board of Adjustments meeting Oct 6
The North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee has withdrawn the zoning appeal originally scheduled to be heard at the Flathead County Board of Adjustments on October 6. All of you who were planning to attend this meeting no longer need to do so.
Le Grizz Ultramarathon & Relay is recruiting!
From Flannery Coats . . .
Le Grizz Ultramarathon & Relay is recruiting!
Volunteers needed on October 10th in a variety of timeslots.
This is a perfect opportunity to catch up on spectator sports and cheer on a neighbor or three!
See link below…