Amendment Postponed

An amendment to the NFLA Bylaws was proposed at the July Business Meeting to move the meeting date back to the first Saturday of every month. At the August Business Meeting, the vote on this amendment was postponed and the Board has accepted the task of sending out a survey to all paid members to get their input. Then, it will be discussed next year at the June Business Meeting, so that we can get a better feel for what all the members want.

To read a pdf version of the amendment, tap here.

Scott Emmerich has passed away

Scott Emmerich giving the Glacier National Park report at an Interlocal

We got the following from friends and wanted to pass it along. Scott was a wonderful person and we’re sorry to see him go…

I just got a text from Jan Emmerich. Scott passed away last night at home surrounded by his family. His battle with glioblastoma has ended. He was a good friend to many of us in the nfork.

Fire Training at the Hall

Fire Training: photo by Allen Chrisman

Great turnout for the Fire Training at the Hall last Thursday with some 25 people in attendance!

Gary Mahugh did an excellent job going over some of the fundamentals. Thanks to Dick Leigh for being the energy behind this. And thanks to Janet Leigh for the potluck pulled pork main dish!

We’ll be thinking about hosting a similar session next June, and include it on the calendar if there is interest.

2018 Summer Interlocal Summary

Molly Shepherd and Allen Chrisman have combined their notes from the Summer Interlocal that took place at Sondreson Hall on Wednesday, July 18th. You can get a pdf version of that summary by tapping here.

Thank you Molly and Allen for taking the time to put these notes together. They will not only be useful for folks who were unable to attend, but provide a record that can be reviewed in the future about what was discussed during this important meeting.

August 1st National Wildfire Outlook Potential

The August 1st National Wildfire Outlook Potential is very consistent with what has been forecasted before and what we are seeing up the North Fork.  Bottom line for us is that we will see an above average August and September in terms of fire activity.  No real relief during that period, however the forecast is confident that the season will close out in late September/early October, which is a relief.

Significant-Wildland-Fire-Potential-Outlook-August-2018

Significant-Wildland-Fire-Potential-Outlook-September-2018We received  just a little bump of moisture a week ago – but all that did was extend the live fuel moistures for a week or so.  We’ll be curing out fast without additional precip, and at some point the minor amounts (less than a quarter of an inch) will not do much at all.  I was on the Kootenai Forest this week, and we need to feel fortunate in the North Fork that we have relatively moist fuels.  They don’t, and the number of fires they are staffing reflects that.

Stay watchful – water what you can, keep your grass mowed and trimmed, and watch for smoke.

Here is the link to the August 1st National Wildfire Outlook Potential:  https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf.

2018 North Fork Firewise Day Presentation

The NFLA’s Fire Mitigation Committee sponsored its annual Firewise Day workshop on July 18, 2018, preceding the Summer Interlocal meeting. About 45 people attended the program. For more information and excellent recommendations on how to prepare for a wildland fire, tap here to read a summary co-authored by Molly Shepherd and Allen Chrisman.

The summary mentions the draft Strategic Planning Section of the 2018 North Fork Flathead Wildfire Mitigation and Planning Report. If you would like to download that, then tap here.  Comments are welcome on the draft Strategic Planning Section – please submit them to Allen Chrisman at achrisman52@gmail.com.

Allen Chrisman has made a copy of the PowerPoint presentation available for everyone, especially folks who weren’t able to attend. You can download the file by tapping here. Please be warned. The file is over 50MB. You might want to wait until you get on a computer that has unlimited download!

Thank you Molly Shepherd and Allen Chrisman (co-chairs) for all of your hard work putting this together.

For more Fire Mitigation news, please see the NFLA Fire Mitigation page.

Reminder – 1st aid, CPR, and AED Certification – Aug. 14

This is a reminder that Bob Lee is providing training with certification in 1st aid, CPR, and AED at Sondreson Hall on Tuesday, August 14th starting at 9AMand lasting most of the day. Please bring your lunch and drinks. Cost is $45, and is limited to 10 individuals. Contact Bill Walker 406-407-2764 or wkwalker@nvdi.comto reserve a spot. The class is filling up, so don’t wait and sign up today.

Please note the cost is different than published originally in the calendar. It’s $45, not $35.

Class in Wild Land Fire Control – August 9

Here is a message from the Heitz…

Rick Trembath of Flathead Forestry and Fire Consulting will be conducting a class in Wild Land Fire Control at Sondreson Hall at 10:00 am on Thursday, August 9. Trembath, some of you will remember, was head of structure protection on the Wedge Fire in 2003, and chief of the Big Fork Fire Department. He should know his material well, having retired from USFS after many years just before the Wedge.

If you are interested in learning how you can contribute to working on fire control on your own property, or helping the North Fork Irregulars (who are getting old, you know) in slowing a smaller fire start until USFS crews can arrive, please plan on attending. There may be a charge for getting Trembath here, but, at this time, we aren’t sure of that.

Please notify Dick Leigh (dickleigh30@ hotmail.com), Kevin Ulrichsen, or Irv Heitz (chrisirv2@gmail.com) if you are planning to attend.

Janet :Leigh will provide the main lunch, but please bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share.

See you there!!

The Flathead Lake Biological Station

Here’s a message from Irv Heitz…

Those of you in attendance at Wednesday’s Interlocal Meeting learned of a new research presence in the North Fork, the Flathead Lake Biological Station. Dr. Rachel Malison is researching river and aquifer stonefly populations in the gravel beds of the river and floodplains. You will notice pvc test wells at spots along the river and in some locations on floodplains a bit farther from the river.

Please do not bother these site. If you have questions or concerns, you can contact Dr. Malison at 406-982-33-1 x 246, or check out flbs.umt.edu/apps/research/dob/default.aspx .

Dr. Malison may be looking for additional sites with access to the river or tributaries of the river to continue the study, so if you are interested, contact her.

I have also engaged her for a possible pre-NFLA meeting presentation next summer.

Community Float July 26

Community Float | photos from Dick Leigh

Here is a message from Janet Leigh… The next Community Float will be Thursday, the 26th of July, from Ford to Polebridge. Meet at Polebridge at 10:00 to shuttle.
The next float, scheduled for August 9 will be cancelled due to both Dick & Kevin having a fire suppression class. If anyone would like to take over for that week, please contact Janet!