Category: News

Allen Chrisman attended the 2016 Interlocal meeting that was held on February 17, 2016 hosted by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Click here for a complete copy of his notes. Allen, thank you for being so diligent. Everyone is going to appreciate these detailed notes.

Lois Walker sent the following from her Interlocal notes. Thanks Lois!

Gary Danzig, Staff Officer for the Flathead National Forest, briefed the Interlocal on a proposal that the Forest Service is preparing to submit under the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). Montana has received $22M a year in FLAP funds so far. Flathead County first submitted and got approval for a project to pave the approach to Blacktail Mountain, first one mile over private land and then an additional distance to reach USFS land. One quarter of the cost to build the new bridge over the South Fork this summer will also be paid for with FLAP money.

The program requires 13.42% in matching funds; i.e., $134K for every $1M in FLAP money and has been extended for another 5 years, with $19M a year allotted for Montana.

The project that the Forest Service wants to submit, in cooperation with Flathead County, Border Patrol (Homeland Security), and Glacier Park, would rebuild the North Fork Road from the border eight miles south and apply a gravel lift, and rebuild the road from the Merc to the Polebridge entrance to the Park, also with new gravel. That represents $1.5M in total work.

The proposal document should be ready by May, to be signed by GNP Superintendent Jeff Mow, Flathead Forest Supervisor Chip Weber, and Border Patrol station chief Kip Stratton, plus the county commissioners. The Project Decision Committee will meet in June and July. There will be heavy competition from other projects in Montana.

Homeland Security has pledged to come up with $100K in funding. The Park Service will throw in a little more. The county’s part will be to provide gravel from the pit on Whale Creek, which they will re-open.

They are asking for letters of support from North Fork organizations and individuals, saying that we’ve heard about the proposed project to improve sections of the North Fork Road and we support the idea. Address letters to:

Flathead County Commissioners
c/o David Prunty
Flathead County Road Dept.
1249 Willow Glen Drive
Kalispell, MT 59901

And Kip Stratton from the Border Patrol has asked that copies be sent to him as well:

Kip Stratton
US Customs and Border Protection
Whitefish Station
1295 Hwy 93 West
Whitefish, MT 59937

The Fall Enrollment Letter was mailed today.  The Post Office now requires address confirmation on bulk mail, which we can either do by a return service to correct a bad address, or addressee “or current Occupant”.  Because we didn’t know that until I was taking the mail to the counter, we borrowed a  stamp from Insty Prints “Occupant” and stamped all the pieces.  So, everyone will get a mailer stamped “Occupant” followed by their name and address. That allows the Post Office to deliver the item regardless of whether the name is correct or not. We’ll consider options for next year to avoid the “Occupant” stamp.

You can also access the Fall Enrollment Letter on line by clicking here. If  you have any questions about the letter, don’t hesitate to contact Treasurer Heather Sullivan via e-mail.

Thanks to Heather and all for doing the address labels and tabbing.  Bulk mailing is fraught with rules and regulations, so we appreciate all the help it took to get this out!

The annual NFLA food drive has concluded and over 100 pounds of food items were delivered by NFLA President Randy Kenyon to the Columbia Falls food bank.

The annual food drive, originally proposed by Bob Grimaldi years ago, is a way for the NFLA members to get involved in a community service project and provide others with a small share of our good fortune. North Forkers set aside appropriate items while cleaning out and closing their North Fork homes for the season and bring them to the Sondreson Hall during the final business meetings of the year.

We want to thank everyone who participated this year. And a special thanks to Randy for hauling the load down to Columbia Falls.

Have a great fall and see you on Thanksgiving at the Hall.

The NFLA Board Welcomes You To A New Year!
2015/2016 NFLA Dues

Dear North Fork landowner,

As president of the North Fork Landowner’s Association (NFLA), I would like to take a few moments of your time to bring you some important information. The NFLA has been an ongoing and active organization since 1947.  During that time, it has represented and supported landowners in promoting and maintaining our unique corner of the world.   Without our dedicated volunteers, none of this would be possible.  First and foremost though, remains the aged star of our community, the Sondreson Hall. This hallowed hall is the conerstone of our North Fork. Maintaining this facility to the highest standards of safety and quality is expensive and time consuming.

This is where your membership pledge can provide ongoing support.  This small contribution can and will help ensure the future of our little corner of the world. Dues for an Active Member are $15 per person.  Associate membership for non-owners is $10.  Any additional contribution is greatly appreciated!

For more information on joining and a calendar of events and activities please visit our website at www.nflandowners.org.

We look forward to another exciting and eventful 2016!  Randy Kenyon, NFLA President

NFLA 2015/2016 Board Members: Randy Kenyon-President; Allen Chrisman-Vice President; Heather Sullivan-Treasurer, Secretary; Karen McDonough-Past President; Alan McNeil-Hall Usage, South Director; Jan Caldwell- Social Committee, South Director; Paul Marotz- Hall Maintenance & Improvements, North Director.

North Fork Landowners’ Association
Membership Sign-up/Renewal

The North Fork Landowners’ Association was founded in 1947. The Association owns Sondreson Hall at Whale Creek that serves as a center for business and social functions on the North Fork. Only property owners of record, their spouses and adult members of their immediate families are eligible to vote. Associate Members (non-property owners) may not vote. Annual dues for Active Members are $15 per person; dues for Associate Members are $10 per person. Dues may be paid by mail or in person at any NFLA meeting.  Additional contributions are welcome.

Please send your dues to:
North Fork Landowners’ Association
Secretary-Treasurer
P.O. Box 1603
Columbia Falls, MT  59912

Good morning!

I would like to introduce myself for those who don’t know me and thank Bonnie for all her years of dedication! I look forward to working with everyone!

My family has had property on the North Fork for 35 years. I grew up here as a kid every summer and raised my two daughters’ here the same way. Glacier and the North Fork has been our home for a long time, and I moved from Maryland last summer to be here full time. I live in Kalispell during the week and am at the North Fork most weekends.

I volunteered for the Treasurer position because my career is in business, I have an accounting and business degree, and have done accounting for others in the past. I thought I might be able to help out J

Thank you for your patience during this transition time and please feel free to contact me.

Don’t forget our meeting this Saturday, Sept. 5th at 8 pm.

See you all there!

Heather Sullivan

Heather Sullivan, Treasurer
North Fork Landowners’ Association
P.O. Box 1603
Columbia Falls, MT. 59912
nflatreasurer@gmail.com

Effective August 31st, after five years of working with some of the greatest neighbors a person could want, I’m retiring from the North Fork Landowners’ Association as Treasurer.

I had done this before back in the 1980’s but things have changed a great deal since then.  It was a learning experience then but there were no phones or radio phones, internet or spreadsheets!  This time it has been an even greater learning experience and there have been many teachers and helpers along the way.  Too many to even begin to mention here.

Thanks to all who helped me or even just provided moral support with a smile or a hug when you came into the hall.  Hopefully I’ll still get to see you in the neighborhood.

Please use my new email if you need to contact me about anything or just to chat at bmsogle@lazys-o.com .  All of you North Forkers who need to reach the new Treasurer, Heather Sullivan, please email her at nflatreasurer@gmail.com.   She’s a great gal and I know she’ll do a good job for you all.

Our heartfelt thanks to Bonny for taking such good care of the NFLA finances for all these years. Bonny… you are a wonder.

At the NFLA Business Meeting last Saturday evening, new members were elected to the Board of Directors. Randy Kenyon replaced Karen McDonough as President while Karen will be moving into the Past President position replacing outgoing Past President Debo Powers. Allen Chrisman is moving from his 2015 position as North Director to the Vice President slot, replacing outgoing Vice President Donna Harrison. Don Sullivan will be serving as the new North Director for two years and Paul Marotz will continue serving as the other North Director for one more year. Jan Caldwell was elected as the new South Director replacing outgoing South Director Carol Groebe. Jan will be serving for two years while Alan McNeil serves one more term as the other South Director. It was also announced at the meeting that long time Treasurer Bonny Ogle will be transitioning out of that position for the next year helping Heather Sullivan step in.

All of the community appreciates the time and hard work of all the outgoing officers. Thank you Karen, Debo, Donna, and Carol for taking such good care of the NFLA. And we are also grateful to Bonny for all of her hard work over the years and her willingness to work with Heather during the transition. Finally, we appreciate the new members of the Board volunteering their time to take up these positions.