Category: News

Status of Special Use Permits in the North Fork

North Fork Flathead River, May 16, 2018 - by William K. Walker
North Fork Flathead River, May 16, 2018 – by William K. Walker

Here’s an excerpt from a note Rob Davies, Hungry Horse/Glacier View District Ranger, sent around yesterday (July 2) concerning the issuance of special use permits in the North Fork. This is not quite officially final information, but it is unlikely to change in any meaningful way. The full email text is available here: https://www.gravel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Special-Use-Permits-in-the-North-Fork-Email-July-2-2020.pdf

NW Adventures, ATV Guiding,   I have decided to not issue a permit in the North Fork based on comments received during scoping.   This company will still be permitted and operate on the West side of the Whitefish divide with one exception, they will be allowed to take clients to Red Meadow Lake and depart back to the West.  They will not be allowed to travel beyond Red Meadow Lake and they will not be able to take clients to Red Meadow Lake on weekends or Holidays.    Due to the COVID situation they are not expected to have as many clients as they were hoping for in their proposal.

Whitefish Shuttles.    Van tours and livery service to several trail heads, short hikes and bike tour in the North Fork will be permitted.  They expect much reduced numbers of clients and trips due to the COVID situation.

Cycling House, Bicycling tours cancelled due to COVID.

Adventure Cycling, Bicycle tours, cancelled due to COVID.

Spotted Dog Cycles:   Bicycle tours cancelled due to COVID.

Two of the five permits that were proposed in The North Fork will be issued this year, and they are only valid for 1 season.  The proponents would have to reapply if they wish to operate next year.

Wildland Fire Potential Outlook – issued July1, 2020

The Current Wildland Fire Potential Outlook has been posted, and it refines the forecast for our fire season in Northwest Montana. We did see benefit from the significant moisture received over the past two weeks, so our season will be delayed until later in July. That is good news. But August and September are still forecast to be Above Normal Fire Activity for Northwest Montana.

Here is the important stuff for the Northern Rockies:

“Normal fire potential is now anticipated to continue through most of July due to the recent passage of moist, Pacific troughs and beneficial precipitation in the latter half of June and forecast to continue in a weaker version by various CPC outlooks into the middle of the month. In late July and August, Above Normal significant wildland fire potential is anticipated to develop in all the Western PSAs 01-09 and expand eastward into central and southeastern Montana, possibly as far east as western North Dakota. One reason is the predicted monsoonal lightning pattern which could be robust under a strong ridge of high pressure during that time with above average potential lightning ignitions in dry fuel beds. Above Normal potential will continue for those same areas in September with the outlooks calling for warmer and drier than average conditions.”

August and September will be busy for us. Be prepared!

Here is the link for the entire report: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

North Fork Interlocal meeting, 1:00pm, July 8th at the hall!

Sondreson Hall by Gerry StearnsThe summer North Fork Interlocal Agreement meeting will be held, Wednesday, July 8 at Sondreson Hall. Start time is 1:00 p.m. This summer’s meeting is hosted by the North Fork Trails Association.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues, we’re shooting for a “lite” version of the Interlocal this summer…

  • There will be no lunch prior to the meeting. Feel free to bring your own drinks and snacks.
  • At this time, the hall occupancy limit is 50 people. Attendance at the past few summer Interlocals has been in the 80-90 range. Agencies should send only the minimum necessary staff. If appropriate, we can also accept written reports to be read aloud at the meeting (email them to me). North Fork residents and organizations should also consider ways to trim attendance.
  • Please wear a mask! If needed, we will have some disposable masks available at the hall (suggested donation $1).

Also, don’t forget the annual Firewise Day meeting in the morning, starting at 9:30 a.m.

The Interlocal Agreement provides for face-to-face contact with representatives of agencies whose policies and actions affect the North Fork. Interlocal Agreement meetings are held in the winter (in town) and summer (at Sondreson Hall). This is always a very interesting meeting, with reports from a range of government agencies and local organizations and often some quite vigorous discussion.

Firewise Day, Wednesday, July 8, 9:30am, at the hall!

Don’t miss our Annual Firewise Day at Sondreson Community Hall on Wednesday July 8 beginning at 9:30 a.m. The Agenda is attached. Coffee and light refreshments will be served by volunteers wearing facemasks and gloves.

Featured will be a powerful video about the Camp Fire that burned through Paradise California in 2018.

Other speakers will cover the updates to the Flathead County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, the North Fork CWPP, Hazardous Fuels Grant opportunities, the upcoming fire season forecast, and an update on the Frozen Moose Fuels Projects.

Capacity of the Hall during COVID is set at 50 people. We respectfully request that you wear facemasks indoors. If you don’t have one, masks are available at the Hall for a suggested donation of a dollar.

There is no potluck following the Firewise meeting due to COVID, so feel free to bring your own lunch.

The Inter Local is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.

See you there!!

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Glacier Park’s Polebridge entrance to reopen June 15, with restrictions

I received the following note from Jim Dahlstrom, the North Fork District Ranger, concerning the reopening of Glacier Park’s Polebridge entrance on Monday, June 15.

Jim will be available to answer questions about this issue at the NFLA general membership meeting, 8:00pm, Sunday, June 14 at Sondreson Hall. He is the first item on the agenda.

Please note that Sondreson Hall is operating under some COVID-19-related usage restrictions, including a 50-person maximum capacity limit. See “COVID-19: Sondreson Hall Use Restrictions and Guidelines” for details.

…I wanted to pass along some information for you to share at your upcoming meeting this Sunday, regarding Glacier National Park’s phased reopening plans.  I’m sure you’ve seen some of the info we have posted on our website, but to further explain specifically what we’ll be doing in the North Fork this summer (a press release will be going out tomorrow, but not including all of the information here):

  1.  The North Fork area will open on June 15th as a day use only area.  No overnight camping in the frontcountry campgrounds or backcountry.  Backcountry camping should be available about the last week in June, and I would expect we will open our frontcountry campgrounds shortly thereafter.  No fees will be collected, and this year we will have a strict limit to the number of vehicles allowed beyond the gate at one time in the North Fork.  We will start with 150 cars and see how congested that is, and may adjust down if we find that to be unmanageable.  We will allow a limited number of vehicles to form a queue, and when an appropriate number of vehicles leave the area, we will allow the requisite number of vehicles in.  Be aware that we have a total of about 100 parking places in the whole area, including Bowman, Kintla, and Logging Creek, and several small trailheads.  Over the past 3 years, we have averaged around 300-500 vehicles per day, with parking lots turning over about 2-3 times per day.
  2. The Ranger Station will not be open to the public.  This is an effort to attempt to reduce exposure to our employees.  Information and publications will be available outside and rangers will be stationed at both the window and outside on the lawn to answer questions.  The public restrooms at Polebridge will be open, and cleaned and disinfected 3x per day.  Vault toilets at the developed areas will get the same treatment 2x per day.  Water will be available at the campgrounds and sanitizing pumps in key locations.
  3. At 4:30 every day, the inbound gate at Polebridge will be closed and a sign placed indicating its hours as a day use only location.  Visitors in the North Fork after 4:30 will be allowed to exit at their leisure, but again, no overnight use is permitted.
  4. No boating on any North Fork lakes will be available initially.  The AIS inspection station in Apgar is currently the only one operating in the park (and only for non-motorized boating) due to reduced staffing and limited emergency response throughout the park.  I would expect that additional park waters will open incrementally as the season progresses.  At this time, we will not be able to issue any NF resident annual passes for boating as well, as it would complicate visitor perceptions.  NPS employees are not allowed to participate in recreational boating as well, except on Lake McDonald.

This is a lot of information to digest, so if anything is unclear please reach out to me. I’ll  be available by cell the rest of the weekend, and I am more than happy to come to the meeting to deliver this information in person.  Just say the word and I’ll be there.

COVID-19: Sondreson Hall Use Restrictions and Guidelines

Sondreson Hall by Gerry StearnsThe following restrictions, guidelines and notices apply to the use of Sondreson Hall under Montana’s “Phase 2” COVID-19 management plan:

The maximum number of people in the hall at any given time is 50. For a given event, up to 50 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 with no more than six individuals seated at each table.

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). It is strongly recommended that the people receiving the food be masked as well.

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 document as a PDF, click here.)

First Aid/CPR/AED Course June 16

First Aid SignageREMINDER: 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 and wrapping up by 4:00pm. The date is Tuesday, June 16. The course will be held at Sondreson Hall. Cost should  be $45/person.

With a course size limit of 10 people, maintaining appropriate social distancing shouldn’t be a problem.

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

Note! Starting last year, the certification cards were 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.

(If something goes awry, the fallback date for the First Aid/CPR/AED Class is June 23rd. I doubt we’ll use it.)

Wildland Fire Potential Outlook – issued June 1, 2020

Here is the weblink for the current outlook:
https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

As I said, the Outlooks issued June 1 and July 1 give us a much better picture of how the fire season might shape up.  And, it is not looking good for Northwestern Montana.  We are forecast to have a more active than normal fire season in July, August and September.

Here is an excerpt from the write-up for the Northern Rockies (our Geographic Area including North Idaho, all of Montana, and bits of North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming):

In the western areas, higher than average soil moistures from recent precipitation, and within the remaining snowpack, will provide healthy live fuels growth and limit any significant areas of dry fuels in June in the middle and higher elevations. This will maintain normal fire potential in June. Considering that the Climate Prediction Center outlooks are indicating increasingly drier and warmer than average conditions during the core fire season months, Above Normal significant large fire potential is anticipated from July through August and will continue into September for PSAs 01-09. Although the likelihood is minimal, the potential of a La Niña ENSO pattern developing in late summer or early autumn could enhance the fire potential or extend the duration of the fire season.  (Note:  The North Fork falls within PSA 7 which includes Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.  The North Fork, being on the west edge of PSA 7, is sometimes more similar to PSA 2 which includes the Kootenai National Forest and Eureka and can be drier.)  

In addition, the monsoonal moisture forecast for the Southwest will push up into our area – and will likely increase the scope and scale of dry lightning storms in July and August.  We might be looking at a fire season similar to 2003, 2007, and 2017.  We have to hope that the North Fork will be more similar to 2017 than 2003.  Cross your fingers and be prepared.  Again, these forecasts are useful but are often not incredibly accurate.  It can either be better or worse than forecast.  And as in 2017, a lot comes down to how many starts we have (both lightning and human-caused) and what weather conditions exist at the time (wind especially) and the fuel bed it starts in and resistance to control.

Thanks, Allen