Not much of a surprise here. As I was discussing with Lynn Ogle last week, we haven’t had a “season-ending” event, but the door is slowly closing on the fire season in the North Fork. Note the forecast for warmer temperatures and below average snowpack for the Northern Rockies over the winter.
So, watch out for your burning conditions – we could still have warm, windy days where fires could escape in light flashy fuels. Always do your test fire (with water handy) to see how it carries in the fuels surrounding your burn piles. That will tell you a lot.
Thanks to all of you. Have a great burning season, and a good winter! Allen
This coming Sunday October 14th the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee will be meeting to discuss and review our Neighborhood Planning and Zoning as required every ten years. It will be held at 5:00pm at Sondreson Hall, just prior to the regular NFLA monthly meeting. This is an opportunity to give input on this plan developed many years ago to preserve and protect our unique way of life. If there are any questions or comments please contact me at kenyonnorthfork@gmail.com or (406) 640-3184. We hope to see you there!
Randy Kenyon is asking for your help. The North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee (NFLUAC) has been revived and their first mission is to perform a 10 year review of the North Fork Neighborhood Plan approved by the Flathead County Board of Commissioners and adopted in June of 2008. If you are interested in participating in this 10 year review, please get into contact with Randy, Committee Chair, within the next 30 days by sending an email (kenyonnorthfork@gmail.com), letter (77 Moose Creek Road Polebridge 59928), or calling 406-640-3184.
Following is an article that was sent by our good North Fork neighbor, Karina Pettey…
Whale Butte fire | photo by Amy Secrest
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
