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!
Here’s a message from NFLA Secretary Dawn Olson Jacobson… Reminder that August meeting August 12 is elections for the NFLA in order to vote you need to be an active paid member $15.00 this money is used to pay for hall expenses and other things for the property. Please join the NFLA to help with our building. You can also join as an associate member for $10.00 just to help our building also all donations are gladly accepted. Think of the good times at New Years and other hall activities you enjoy at Sondreson Hall!
For more information on how to join and/or pay your dues, go to… Contact us
Here is a note from Bill Walker…
I’d like to remind everyone that Bob Lee is giving his very popular and extremely useful First Aid/CPR/AED class at Sondreson Hall on Tuesday, August 14. It starts at 9:00am and should wrap up around 3:30 or 4:00pm. Bring your own lunch and drinks.
Class size is limited to 10 people. Contact Bill Walker, wkwalker@nvdi.comor 406-407-2764, to reserve a place.
Cost is $45 (not $35 as mentioned elsewhere). Bob accepts cash or checks.
The course includes American Heart Association certification in basic first aid, CPR and use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Also, Bob throws in helpful advice on the sort of supplies to keep on hand in remote areas like the North Fork.
Note: If you happen to work for an organization requiring AHA approved basic first aid certification every two years. Bob’s course fulfills this requirement.
Here is a note from Chris Heitz, Treasurer of the North Fork Landowners Association…
In talking to people over the 4th of July, it appeared that several of the great activities happening in July had already been forgotten. So here are a couple of reminders:
TODAY: Get your list of questions for the Summer InterLocal to Bill Walker at wkwalker@nvdi.netSomething bothering you? Get someone to give you an answer!
Sunday, July 87pm Colter Pence will be talking about the history of the 3 Forks of the Flathead becoming designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers
8 pm NFLA Meeting – bring a snack to share
Wednesday, July 11Float the river with Hosts Dick Leigh and Kevin Ulrichsen. Contact Dick Leigh at dickleigh30@hotmail.comfor details and meeting times.
Thursday, July 129:30 am Sondreson Hall PROTECT YOUR HOME Fire Mitigation done Professionally. Watch a video presented by Mark Boardman, Stoltze Lumber Company of the work they did thinning around a home. Then travel to the Ulrichsen property and see the results! Bring your own snack and drink.
Wednesday, July 189:30 am Sondreson Hall FireWise Day. See examples of fire mitigation on last year’s Lolo Peak, Sunrise, and Roaring Lion fires. Also updates on the upcoming fire season, and Grants available. NOON: Lunch provided by the NFLA, bring a side dish to share, and eat fast so you can purchase fresh produce from the Wernicks Garden in the parking lot. 1:00 pm Summer InterLocal Meeting with speakers from the County, Glacier Park, Forest Service, FWP. State Land, Border Patrol, & Trails Assn.
Saturday, July 218 am at Polebridge Merc. Join the NF Trails Assn as they hike to Coal Ridge Lookout. Contact Bill Walker atwkwalker@nvdi.netfor details & to sign up.
7 pm Sondreson Hall Annual Pie & Ice Cream Social & Square Dance. Bring a pie, and then churn ice cream to go on top! Square Dance with Debo calling.
Wednesday, July 2510 am at Hoilands. See the Kootenai Indian Trail with Duke Hoiland – don’t miss your chance to see the Trail and listen to the history. Limited to 12 people, contact Irv Heitz at chrisirv2@gmail.comto reserve your spot. Hotdogs served over the campfire afterwards – bring a side dish to share.
Friday, July 277 pm at Sondreson Hall Pie Auction and Crazy Hat Contest and Square Dance with Debo calling. Bring your best dessert, baked goods, or small misc items to enter in a Silent Auction – proceeds benefit Sondreson Hall. Then put on your Craziest Hat, or watch others, and see who will win the title this year. Square Dancing starts at 8 pm. Drinks and snacks provided by the NFLA, but feel free to bring ANOTHER dessert to share!
Monday, July 307 pm at Sondreson Hall Game Night. Join your neighbors, and play board games, cards, dominoes, or other games. Open to all ages, including children. Bring a snack to share.
Also, 10:30 every Sunday morning at Sondreson Hall join Don Sullivan for church services; bring a snack to share.
Hope you can find several things that interest you; feel free to let anyone from the Board know if you think of something to add for next year! Look forward to seeing you.
Here’s a note from Janet Leigh… The first community float trip of the season will be Wednesday, July 11, from the border to Ford. Meet at Ford at 11:00 to shuttle to the border. Don’t forget your life jackets!
The July/August/September Outlook is posted. The bottom line is that it could be worse. They are forecasting a above normal July for North Idaho and the Kootenai west of us. I know our precip the last two weeks has made a difference, but it won’t last if we get another flash drought.
All in all, the forecast has seemed to moderate from the June forecast. Still, August and September will be Above Normal for us – and will last until late in September or early October. The monsoonal moisture is forecasted to push up into Southwestern Montana, which still means we may get dry lightning out on the edge of those air masses.
To get a copy of the report, tap here https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
Come join neighbors and friends at Sondreson Hall on Thursday, July 12th at 9:30AM to learn how to protect your North Fork home. Watch fascinating videos and power point presentation by Stoltz Lumber’s Mark Boardman on thinning the forest around a home, and making open spaces for wildlife. Then travel to the Ulrichsen property, and see the results! 1 hr presentation, followed by a field trip of approximately 2 hrs. Mark Boardman also said we could get a tour of the Rittenburg property. This is the old Nature Conservancy property. Bring your own snack and drink. Kevin Ulrichsen, host
The Flathead National Forest, in coordination and partnership with Glacier National Park, has begun the process to prepare a Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) for the 3-Forks of the Flathead River. Project activities will include reviewing the existing Flathead River Wild and Scenic River Recreation Management Direction and River Management Plan.
The river and surrounding lands offer recreational opportunities and access to outstanding resources for a variety of public lands users. The CRMP will address the current status of these resources, outline goals and desired conditions, determine user capacities, and create a monitoring strategy and plan to carry forward. The public is encouraged to contribute to this planning effort that will secure the outstanding remarkable values of the 3-Forks of the Flathead River for future generations. The planning team is interested in diverse stakeholder input as we develop the CRMP.
A series of resource-focused public meetings are being held beginning with the first meeting in May. Our upcoming meeting on Wednesday, June 20, will focus on wildlife monitoring, management, and concerns as part of the efforts to develop the CRMP. The meeting will be held in the lower level of the Arts and Technology Building at Flathead Valley Community College. A campus map can be found here: https://www.fvcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2017-11-Campus-Map-Large-WEB.pdf. The main meeting will be from 6 pm to 8 pm and will include presentations on current wildlife information and some facilitated discussion on how wildlife will be addressed in the CRMP. An introductory presentation on the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for those new to the CRMP process will begin at 5:45pm. Future meeting topics, links to past meeting materials, and the meeting schedule are posted on the CRMP website.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/home/?cid=fseprd573051&width=full
The 3-Forks of the Flathead was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1978 and is a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It encompasses the North Fork of the Flathead from the Canadian border to its confluence with the Middle Fork, the entire Middle Fork, and the South Fork from its headwaters to Hungry Horse Reservoir. The North Fork and the lower Middle Fork form the boundaries between the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. Portions of the Middle and South Forks flow through the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness Areas. A total of 219 miles of the Flathead River are included in the designation.
For more information, please call Flathead National Forest Recreation Program Manager, Chris Prew at 406-758-3538.
Ongoing updates on the CRMP can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/home/?cid=fseprd573051&width=full
Mark Your Calendars! The Fire Mitigation Committee is planning for the North Fork’s 2018 Firewise Day, which will be held the morning of July 18 preceding the Summer Interlocal. The North Fork has been recognized as a Firewise Community since 2006. Come join our Celebration! Byron Bonney will be our featured speaker again. This year he will tell us about the effects of fuels treatments in the area burned by the 2017 Lolo Peak Fire south of Missoula, as well as some effects from the Sunrise Fire near Superior. Byron’s presentation last year focused on the Roaring Lion Fire, and the effects of fuel treatments on fire behavior. The treatments brought fire to the ground and limited the fuels that could be ignited by flying embers. They also improved the chance of survival for neighbors’ homes downwind. We are looking forward to Byron’s report on what he observed at the Lolo Peak and Sunrise Fires, and a look back at some of the fuel treatment “lessons learned” from the Roaring Lion Fire. You can download a copy of the agenda by tapping here.
While funds in our 4th Hazardous Fuels Grant are obligated, a new grant covering the North half of Flathead County has funds available that can be used in the North Fork. The Flathead Economic Policy Center (FEPC) administers the grants and provides landowners and the committee with invaluable technical assistance. Since taking over administration of Hazardous Fuels Grants in the North Fork in 2012 from the Northwest Montana RC&D, FEPC has administered over $153,000 in grants in the North Fork and treated 241 acres with landowner contributions totaling $129,000.
With the retirement of our friend Mason Richwine, a FEPC forester who has worked with many North Fork landowners, Tony Willits will be taking over administration of projects in the North Fork. We look forward to working with Tony, who brings a wealth of forestry and fire experience to the position as did Mason. Bill Swope will continue to work with us, and can be reached at 406-250-9812 or at bhswope@gmail.com.
Flathead County is continuing to work on revision of its Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The Fire Mitigation Committee expects to update its North Fork Wildfire Mitigation and Planning Report in conjunction with the county’s revision. We’ll need community input in the process. We’ll also need to update maps of the significant public and private work that’s been done on the North Fork since the fires of 2003.
The first NFLA Business Meeting of the summer will take place this evening, Sunday June 10th. At 7pm there is a presentation “Grizzlies in YOUR Backyard” by Tim Manley & “Wildlife in the North Fork” by Tim Thier, from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks. General meeting 8pm. Bring a snack to share, and meet your neighbors! Larry Wilson, host.