The Fall 2019 NFLA newsletter is now available for download from the website “Newsletters” page.
If your newsletter arrived in damaged condition (for some reason, the postal service processing equipment was in mangle mode), contact Chris Heitz (chrisirv2@gmail.com) for a new copy — or just download it from the website.
Note: The mystery photo from the 1990 Fourth of July parade has been identified. It is Dan Deck singing with other members of the Kalispell Presbyterian Choir.
Join us for a presentation by Author John Fraley on the true adventures of people who earned their livings in the wild mountains and rivers of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier Park during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Fraley is the author of “Rangers, Trappers, and Trailblazers”, “Wild River Pioneers”, and “A Woman’s Way West”, and is retired from a 40-year career with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Sondreson Hall, 7:00pm, Sunday, October 13th. Bring a snack to share if you can. The last general meeting of the NFLA will follow at 8pm, and canned goods for the Veterans Food Pantry will be collected there.
As an answer to two Grizzly bear cubs being euthanized last fall, Polebridge is hosting a Bear Fair next Saturday, August 24th, from noon-3pm behind the Northern Lights Saloon. If persuasion of proximity to a delicious watering hole (and bakery) isn’t enough, there will be opportunities to practice your shot with inert bear spray cans, meet Karelian Bear Dogs, sample products for living with bears, enjoy presentations by a few local bear experts and games and prizes for the entire family! Join us in Polebridge, Saturday, August 24th from noon-3pm.
I just got this note from Rob Davies, Hungry Horse/Glacier View District Ranger . . .
The Proposed Action for the River Plan is out today. [In the press release below,] you will see the link to the Flathead NF web page where you can locate the July, 2019 Draft Proposed Action (50 pages).
Also public meetings are now set for Tue Aug 13th, and Tue August 20th, Flathead Community College, 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm.
If you could please pass this on to the home owners association and others in the North Fork on your email list who you know are interested. This info will also be distributed in all the next editions of the local papers.
And here is the official press release . . .
Flathead Wild and Scenic River: Scoping for the Comprehensive River Management Plan
Kalispell, MT, July 31, 2019- The Flathead National Forest, in coordination with Glacier National Park, is beginning the scoping process for the Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) for the Flathead Wild and Scenic River.
The proposed action document discusses potential management direction and information on the desired conditions for the Flathead River segments. The public is asked to pay particular attention to how the desired condition statements as well as the proposed monitoring indicators, thresholds and triggers protect and preserve Outstanding Remarkable Value’s for the three forks of the Flathead River system presently and into the future. This is the foundation of the CRMP and will inform management actions and inform how the user capacity process will be done. More information on the Flathead Wild & Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/crmp.
The proposed action can also be accessed at the Flathead National Forest NEPA page (Flathead Comprehensive River Management Plan): https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56536.
Hard copies of the proposed action document are also available for review at the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger Station (10 Hungry Horse Drive, Hungry Horse, MT, 59919) or at the Forest Supervisor’s Office (650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901).
The public can provide us comments by doing the following:
• Email comments to: comments-northern-flathead@usda.gov. Acceptable formats include MS Word, RTF, or PDF.
• Fill in an electronic form by going to the same Flathead National Forest NEPA page (see above) and selecting “Comment/Object on Project” on the right hand side of the screen.
• Hand-deliver or mail comments to the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger Station in Hungry Horse or the Forest Supervisor’s Office in Kalispell (see above for addresses).
To assure your comments are fully considered during this scoping phase of the project, we request that you submit comments by September 13, 2019. Additional comments are welcome throughout the planning process.
Two public open house meetings will provide further information about this project will occur on August 13 and 20, 2019, from 6 pm to 8 pm at the lower level of the Arts and Technology Building at Flathead Valley Community College.
The Summer 2019 North Fork Interlocal Agreement Meeting is at 1:00pm, on Wednesday, July 10 at Sondreson Hall. This year’s sponsor is the North Fork Road Coalition for Health and Safety (NFRCHS).
Interlocal meetings are held twice each year, winter and summer. These semi-annual get-togethers are intended to encourage open discussion between North Fork landowners and neighbors and local, state and federal agencies.
In other words, it’s a big deal if you have an interest in the North Fork.
This summer’s meeting will include a special presentation by the Forest Service on the planned Frozen Moose Project. This is a new vegetation and fuels project in the northern part of the North Fork. Sarah Canepa, NEPA Team Leader, will give a brief overview and answer questions.
Preceding the Interlocal meeting is the annual FireWise Day Workshop at 9:30 a.m. and lunch at noon. Lunch is a community potluck, with the NFRCHS supplying the main course and drinks.
Greetings! Here is the July/August/September Wildland Fire Potential Outlook issued today. No big change here:
https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
While we have appreciated the moisture we received lately, we are still behind in overall precipitation for the year. And while there is probability of showers in the forecast, I’m thinking things are going to dry out – and probably quickly by late July. So, we will transition into an active fire season certainly by the end of July. Still time to prepare – I know I have to get our sprinkler system set up!
Thanks! Allen
Join us at Sondreson Community Hall on June 28 for a forestry field day sponsored by Montana Tree Farm, hosted by Allen Chrisman and Mark Boardman.
2019 MT TF Flathead Field Day.PDF
After an hour PowerPoint presentation by Allen and Mark, we’ll drive up to the Chrisman/Wiley Family Forest to view recent timber harvest, discuss management objectives, logging systems, and regeneration. We’ll have a potluck lunch – with a meat entree’ provided. Please bring a side dish to share, beverages of your own choice, and a lawn chair. RSVP to Allen Chrisman by June 21 at achrisman52@gmail.com. Everyone welcome!
Northwestern Montana (including the Flathead) is forecasted for above normal large fire potential starting in mid-July and continuing through August into at least mid-September.
So, it has the potential to be a busy fire season in the North Fork. Click on the link below for the report.
Allen Chrisman
https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
The North Fork Patrol had its spring meeting on 30 May. So far this year the patrol has logged 722 miles and checked on 132 residences. Only two owners had to be notified of damages.
As folks return to the North Fork for the summer, the patrol reminds them to be sure to have a plan of action incase of medical or fire emergencies.
I hope you are having good early summer.
Mark
Bob Lee will be giving his well-regarded First Aid/CPR/AED class in the North Fork again this spring on Friday, May 31, at Sondreson Hall. It is an all-day course, starting at 9:00am and usually finishing up at 4:00pm or a bit earlier. Cost should be $45/person, cash or check.
Bring a lunch and drinks.
Course size limit is 10 people! Contact Bill Walker (wkwalker@nvdi.com<mailto:wkwalker@nvdi.com> or 406-407-2764) to reserve a place.
(Note! This year, the certification cards will be distributed electronically. The folks sending the cards insist that every recipient have a unique, individual email address. If this is a problem, contact Bill Walker.)