Firewise USA membership emphatically renewed

A note from Molly Shepherd of the NFLA’s Fire Mitigation Committee . . .

Our Firewise USA membership has been renewed, thanks to the efforts of North Fork landowners and our agency partners.

We had a phenomenal year: $132, 544 total “investment,” reflecting both hours and expenses contributed by the North Fork community. Our required minimum Investment was $12,240. The value of our investment per dwelling unit was $294.54; we were required to have a minimum of $27.20, or $1 per dwelling unit.

The Hay Creek fire, and encouraging people to submit their Firewise-qualifying hours and expenses, accounted for our higher numbers this year. I suspect that many hours weren’t reported, however.

Thank you all for your contributions and your support of the North Fork’s Firewise program. And have a happy Thanksgiving!

North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee to meet Nov 11

NORTH FORK LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH, 2021
SONDRESON HALL
6:30PM

Call to Order

Members Present

The sub committee is providing the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee with a progress report including the status of the draft text amendment.

Accommodations for those with special needs will be honored.

Hay Creek Road reopens

Hay Creek Drainage, June 5, 2020 - W K Walker
Hay Creek Drainage, June 5, 2020 – W K Walker

From an email received this morning from District Ranger Rob Davies . . .

We just lifted the closure order for Hay Creek Fire.

The Hay Cr road and the area is all open as of today.

We will have warning signs and people need to be careful of snags within the fire area…

But the entire road is open and safe . Please spread the word.

Time to get your firewood permits!

NFLA President’s remarks at Lower North Fork Road Roundtable, Flathead Co. Fairgrounds, Oct 6, 2021

North Fork Road in Fall - USFS
North Fork Road in Fall – USFS

Commissioner Abell and Others:

For the record: Richard Hildner, President, North Fork Landowners Association, 350 Moose Creek Road, Polebridge, MT 59928.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak this afternoon. We applaud your effort to facilitate a multi-agency discussion on the North Fork Road and appreciate the opportunity to participate. The North Fork Community is no stranger to controversy when it comes to the North Fork Road. It was one of the topics at the inaugural meeting of the organization, June 2, 1947.

Because the subject is so divisive, the NFLA has refrained from taking a position on paving. We do, however, submit that regular maintenance and dust abatement are worthy of your attention. As an organization we are anxious to comment upon any alternatives you may develop.

It is clear from the record that any action beyond the status quo – i.e., grading and magnesium chloride – would necessitate multi-agency input, road design and costs, as well as environmental, social, and cultural considerations. This is consistent with the findings of the 2010 MDOT Corridor Study. Any consideration beyond the status quo, including the use of millings, must include cumulative and indirect impacts.

Speaking for the NFLA, we are in agreement that the North Fork Valley is a special place, valued for its remote nature, unique relationship with the local flora and fauna, and preservation of these characteristics is of the utmost importance.

Thank you for your time.

Richard Hildner
North Fork Landowners Association
PO Box 1603
Columbia Falls, MT 59912

Remarks in PDF format . . .

Last NFLA membership meeting of 2021, Oct 10, 6pm

The North Fork Landowners Association hosts its last membership meeting of the year on Sunday, October 10, 2021. We begin with a presentation by Mark Heaphy at 6pm followed by the general membership meeting at 7pm. Note that October’s meeting starts an hour earlier than our summer schedule (6pm vs. 7pm).

Bring a snack to share & items for the food pantry.

Mark’s presentation will cover search and rescue issues. He will also discuss solar power.

Please note that COVID-19 precautions at Sondreson Hall are governed by the current CDC recommendations for meetings in public venues in areas of the country of “substantial or high transmission” for the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. Seating will be socially distanced (six feet spacing), although family members may wish to sit closer together. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available to those who need them.

View current meeting agenda.

Prescribed fire work in the North Fork

Flathead National Forest just put out a press release listing the prescribed burns HHGV Fire Management Logoplanned for this fall. The only entry concerning the North Fork is…

Red Whale Fuels Reduction – Approximately 750 acres will be targeted for prescribed burning this fall in Moose creek and Moran creek. This project location is in the North Fork of the Flathead about four miles northwest of Polebridge. Depending on weather this burn is planned for mid to late September to early October. The purpose of this project is to help restore a more historical fire regime to the ecosystem, improve wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels to reduce wildfire risk and aid in potential future fire suppression efforts, and improve wildlife habitat.

According to Andy Huntsberger, our District Fire Management Officer, “…it is very unlikely that we will be doing any burning besides piles on Glacier View District this fall. The window for activity fuels and ecosystem burning will probably close after next week and our priorities will be in the Southfork. I’m not saying it won’t happen but I am saying it is very unlikely. “

Hosting Thanksgiving at Sondreson Hall

Sondreson Hall by Gerry StearnsDear North Forkers:

Thanksgiving dinner hosts, Janet and Dick Leigh, are unable to host this year’s celebration. While this is not an NFLA sponsored event, any NFLA member can volunteer to be the host. Hosts are responsible for organizing, conducting, and cleaning up afterwards.

If any NFLA member would like to host Thanksgiving dinner at Sondreson Hall they should submit a rental application to the NFLA Secretary, Karina Pettey (karina@petteyfamily.org). Janet Leigh has volunteered to share information about hosting responsibilities and details with anyone interested in being this year’s Thanksgiving dinner host. Janet’s email address is janet.l.leigh@gmail.com.

Again, please let the NFLA Secretary know if you are interested. Thank you for your long-time interest and support.

Wishing you all the best,

Richard Hildner, President
North Fork Landowners Association

Fed bears; dead bears

Monica, June 8, 2020 - W. K. Walker
Monica, June 8, 2020 – W. K. Walker

The Flathead Beacon has a good article by Tristan Scott discussing the loss of Monica and her three cubs, as well as the general North Fork community issues surrounding living with wildlife. Both the NFLA and the NFPA get a mention . . .

Twenty years ago, new arrivals to the remote North Fork Flathead River community of Polebridge were likely to hear some version of the following when asking for directions — just head north and hang a right at the pile of bear scat.

Situated on the doorstep of Glacier National Park, which merges with the Bob Marshall Wilderness to create the largest intact natural ecosystem in the Northern Rockies, the North Fork’s resident grizzly bear population has historically outnumbered its year-round residents, as evidenced by the prominent distribution of scatological droppings along the area’s trails and roadways. Still, the human interlopers who do call this wild chunk of country home have, more or less, learned how to coexist with their mammalian neighbors, reaching an accord that just comes with the territory in bear country.

And yet in recent years, due in part to the increased visitation at Glacier National Park, whose western boundary is defined by the North Fork Flathead River, as well as the expansion of commercial services in and around the community of Polebridge — leading to the development of “work camps” to house a growing number of seasonal workers — human-wildlife conflicts have been on the rise.

Read more . . .

Joint NFLA/NFPA press release: Small Community Loses Grizzly Family

For Immediate Release: September 8, 2021
Contact:
   Richard Hildner, NFLA President, richardhildner@icloud.com or
   Flannery Coats, NFPA President, flannery.e.coats@gmail.com

Small Community Loses Grizzly Family

Monica with three cubs, June 8, 2020 – W. K. Walker
Monica with three cubs, June 8, 2020 – W. K. Walker

Polebridge, Montana [September 8, 2021] – Bear #418, known to locals as Monica, was euthanized Saturday, September 4th along with her three female yearlings, after receiving a multitude of food rewards over the past week. Due to several incidents involving improper food and garbage storage within an eight-mile radius of the Polebridge townsite the bears were ultimately deemed food-conditioned. Monica had been a resident female grizzly bear in the North Fork Valley for 17 years.

In response, two local non-profits, the North Fork Landowners Association (nflandowners.org) and the North Fork Preservation Association (gravel.org), will be working together, along with agency partners, to help improve food and garbage storage in the area as well as to make financial aid resources from conservation organizations such as Defenders of Wildlife and Vital Ground more readily available to residents and business owners in the North Fork.

The North Fork community deeply grieves the loss of Monica and her cubs and in the coming months will explore new avenues to further educate and assist residents and visitors in how to live and recreate in bear country in a manner safe for both bears and humans.