Category: News

Tom Edwards, Long Time North Forker, Passed

Tom EdwardsTom Edwards,  “North Forker” and long time resident of the Flathead valley passed away on May 15, 2015  at Whitefish North Valley Hospital, after a battle with lung cancer.   Tom was born in 1944, in Seattle, the first of three sons born to Burt and Thelma Edwards. He spent the summers of his youth at the Logging Cr. Ranger Station where his father worked as a Park Ranger.  These early interactions on the North Fork fueled his life long love for the local area.

Tom’s gregarious nature  made him a natural salesman. These skills served him well in his career as he moved from grocery store clerk to manager, and eventually into sales with Western Building Center, where he worked until his retirement in 2011.

Tom loved good food, and socializing,  and enjoyed visiting and playing cards with friends.  He took pride in his community.  He was active with the Columbia Falls City Council and served on the Board for Whitefish North Valley Hospital as well as  being actively engaged in the North Fork Landowner Association and History Project.

Twice married, Tom is survived by his wife Carmen Edwards as well as many loved ones, cherished friends and family members. Tom wished for a simple remembrance with no funeral services.  Memorial gifts in Tom’s name can be made to the North Fork Landowner Association for continued maintenance of Sondreson’s Hall and other community events: P.O. Box 1603 Columbia Falls, MT 59912.

2015 NFLA Spring Newsletter is Here

The 2015 NFLA Spring Newsletter is completed and on its way. Folks who have paid their 2015 dues will receive their newsletter in the mail soon. Everyone is invited to check out this year’s newsletter as well as newsletters from years past on the NFLA Newsletter page.

This year’s newsletter includes a letter from NFLA President Karen McDonough, information about square dancing on the North Fork from Debo Powers, the 2015 Firewise Day and hazardous fuels grant from Molly Shepherd, and much more.

The mailed newsletter also includes a 2015 calendar. Calendar events can also be viewed on the Calendar page. This page will be updated throughout the year as new events are added or dates/times of current events change.

Don’t have internet to check for changes? Don’t worry, you can check the local NFLA Bulletin Boards. All new information and/or changes to the calendar will be posted. One of the boards is located between the Merc and the Northern Lights Saloon and the other is at the entrance to Home Ranch Bottoms Store. They will be kept updated. Don’t miss out, keep informed!

We want to say a special thanks to Allen Chrisman, Bonny Ogle, Carol Dolan-Groebe and all of the other NFLA members who worked so hard to get this newsletter written and distributed. We’re all in your debt.

It’s going to be a great summer!

North Fork Winter Interlocal Agreement 2015 Meeting Minutes

Michael Dardis from the Flathead National Forest and Tim Thier from FWPThe winter North Fork Interlocal Agreement meeting took place last Wednesday, February 11th, at the Community Building in West Glacier. As in the past, this meeting was well attended by North Forkers and agency representatives alike. Allen Chrisman was kind enough to take extensive notes and turn them into minutes for the meeting. These include answers to specific questions submitted by North Forkers prior to the meeting. These are attached here as a pdf. The next Interlocal Agreement meeting will take place this coming summer. Keep an eye on the NFLA calendar for the date and details.

Reminders

The new year has begun and the NFLA is getting organized for the summer.  Here are a couple of reminders.

  • Don’t forget to pay your dues by March 1 so that you get your copy of the NFLA 2015 Newsletter this spring.  For more information, check out this announcement.
  • Now is the time to get your event scheduled on the NFLA 2015 Calendar.  Contact Carol Dolan-Groebe at caroldg1@gmail.com if you have an NFLA-related event that you would like everyone to know about for this year.
  • And check out the NFLA calendar as the year goes along to see all the events scheduled.

University of Montana returns to the North Fork

The University of Montana returns to the North Fork from Sunday January 18 until Friday January 23. And the usual Monday night program by Rick and Susie Graetz – Monday January 19 at 6:30 PM in the Community Center – will be presented. This event this year features a new version of “This Is Montana.”

THIS IS MONTANA

It’s been called an Uncommon Land, High Wide and Handsome, the Treasure State. The Land of the Shining Mountains and Big Sky Country…whatever the label, this Montana is a grand mix of geography and history – time and space go well together in this corner of America. Continue reading University of Montana returns to the North Fork

Fall 2014 Enrollment Letter

It’s that time of year again, time for the Fall Enrollment Letter where North Fork landowners are encouraged to get involved with the NFLA.  The enrollment has been mailed out, but in case yours goes astray, here it is in an electronic version: 2014 Enrollment Letter.

Generating and mailing the Fall Enrollment Letter and Spring Newsletter takes a lot of work and time on the part of some dedicated NFLA members.  We want to thank Bonny Ogle, Lois Walker, Heather Sullivan, Allen Chrisman and everyone else involved for volunteering to do this work that will give all North Fork landowners an opportunity to hear about the NFLA and hopefully join in.

You can read a copy of this letter and get all of the past NFLA newsletters from the Newsletters page.

Food Drive at the Final Meeting of the Year

It’s that time of year again. All members of the NFLA are encouraged to bring or send non-perishable food items to the October meeting on the 4th. Acceptable donations include non-perishable commercially canned goods, dried foods such as rice, pasta, beans and any packaged food items not requiring refrigeration. Of particular interest is baby food. Another popular item is pancake syrup.

Items that are not acceptable include those that have been opened, are not in their original container, or are damaged in any way. Unfortunately, home canned goods are also considered unacceptable. However, items whose expiration date has passed are acceptable as long as they are not more than two years out of date.

Tax deductible contributions in the form of a check made payable to the Columbia Falls Food Bank are also welcomed.

This food drive 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. Please set aside appropriate items while cleaning out and closing your North Fork homes for the season and bring them with you to the October meeting. If you aren’t closing up or don’t have these items on hand, pick them up the next time you’re shopping. And if you are not going to be here for the meeting, don’t forget to drop these items off with a friend who will be attending.

Annual Membership Dues have Increased

The NFLA Board of Directors voted to increase the annual dues for active members from $10 a person to $15. Dues for associate members (no voting privileges) were also increased from $5 a year to $10.  For more information about joining the NFLA and paying dues, including an updated form to fill out, see our Contact Page.

August BOD Election Results

The annual election of the officers took place at the Business Meeting on Saturday evening.  Here are the results:

  • President Karen McDonough
  • Vice President Donna Harrison
  • Past President Debo Powers
  • Treasurer Bonny Ogle
  • North Director Allen Chrisman
  • North Director Paul Marotz (new)
  • South Director Alan McNeil
  • South Director Carol Groebe

In addition, the following proposed bylaw change was passed:  Dissolution Clause; “Upon the dissolution of the North Fork Landowners’ Association, assets shall be distributed by action of the Board of Directors to one or more charitable organizations that qualify for the distribution by the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.”

The proposed by law change regarding lifetime membership was withdrawn by Bonny Ogle.