NFLA – Page 44 – North Fork Landowners Association

Living with Fire on the North Fork

Following is an article that was sent by our good North Fork neighbor, Karina Pettey…

Saturday, August 11, 2018: Lightning punctuated local radio chatter as my neighbors tried to pinpoint strikes from the predicted dry storm. Using lightning app technology and line of sight, they worked to identify potential areas to watch for smoke. For now, darkness shrouded the forest as duff incubated the embers.

Sunday morning, the smell of fresh smoke greeted us but we shrugged it off. Our neighbor smelled it as well and called it in. Fire dispatch argued, he insisted. Three hours later, there was official confirmation of a fire on Whale Butte and a Type III team rolled in to check it out. A little fire located up the North Fork, one of several started by the same storm, Whale Butte was low priority and we knew it.

Preparing for fire begins well before lightning strikes. The North Fork Landowners Association (NFLA) collaborates with government agencies on multiple fronts including fire mitigation and fire safety. Community organizations and agencies with responsibilities on the North Fork hold joint public meetings twice a year. It’s an opportunity to address issues, network, and build relationships. North Forkers don’t mince words and our government partners know it! When the Type 1 Team was assigned, the Forest Service made it clear that community relationships were a Value at Risk. An angry North Fork is the stuff of local legend. After all, we might quit bringing dessert to potlucks!

Fire Meeting at the Hall | photo by Suzanne Daniel

Continue reading Living with Fire on the North Fork

2018 September/October/November National Wildland Fire Outlook

There is good news in the September/October/November National Wildland Fire Outlook that resonates with what we have seen in the North Fork. They accurately captured the season-slowing event we had on August 27 where we had widespread precip of 0.20” to 0.50” and snow on the mountains. As you all saw, that coupled with seasonal trend to shorter burning period, cooler temperatures especially overnight, and higher relative humidity recovery overnight has significantly changed fire behavior, even though we saw premature curing of grasses and shrubs (the early color change was based more on drought than photo period in my mind).

We have returned to “Normal” fire behavior forecast for Northwestern Montana for the forecast period. “The latest climate outlooks forecast the entire region to have above average temperatures and near-average precipitation for the period from September through November.” It appears that there may be a higher fire risk in Eastern Montana, but for us a return to Normal is very good. So, while it would be nice for us to see a forecast for a season-ending event in the next few weeks, in reality I think we are going to slide gradually out of fire season. I would be surprised if we see any return to significant fire indices in the Flathead. That doesn’t preclude some moderately warm temperatures and strong winds from a passing dry cold front that would cause any active fire to get up and run for a few hours with available fuels. I don’t believe we have that potential in either Whale Butte or Coal Ridge, but a new start in heavy, dry fuels could be a problem, but I think that would be a relatively uncommon event.

All in all, a good forecast for us. And we might have some good fall weather for outdoor work and burning, once we get out of fire season!

Tap below to download a copy of the September/October/November National Wildland Fire Outlook: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf.

Project documents history of the North Fork

Old photos, newspapers and documents detailing the history of the North Fork at Lois Walker’s residence in Polebridge | from the Daily Inter Lake

The Daily Inter Lake has an article that says… The North Fork Landowners Association is working to amass, catalog and publish a vast trove of documents, photos and old news clippings that lend insight into the cultural heritage of the area. The group is also conducting and archiving oral history interviews.

Read the full article here.

The link in the article doesn’t take you to the NFLA History Project page, but you can use https://nflandowners.org/north-fork-history-project/ to get there.

We want to thank Lois Walker, the current chair of the NFLA History Committee, Debo Powers, the former chair, and all of the folks who have worked so hard on the North Fork History Project for so many years. Really… a job well done.

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

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

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.

We 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

2018 North Fork Firewise Day | photo by Allen Chrisman

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.