Saturday’s Meeting

At 7 PM the Two Bear Search & Rescue Helicopter will arrive and speak on their important work here in the North Fork. It will be interesting and informative!

At 8 PM the election of officers will occur and we need interested members to join the board.

Also, don’t miss voting on a by-laws amendment changing the day of the business meetings to the 2nd Sunday of each month (as opposed to the current 1st Saturday).

The purpose of this proposed and to be voted on change is to allow greater involvement of community members for whom Saturday poses an impossibility to attend.

Bring a neighbor and see you Saturday @ Sondreson Hall @ 7 PM.

August Community Float

Community Float | photos from Dick Leigh

Dick Leigh sent these from the Community Float that took place yesterday, Aug. 1 … On the shuttle back up got 12 people 2rafts and 4 kayaks in pickup and trailer. Great time!Community Float | photos from Dick Leigh

July-August-September Wildfire Outlook

In Northwest Montana we are still forecasted for a “normal” season, but with normal fire season in August, it should be busy.

As Lynn probably mentioned at the NFLA Meeting Saturday, things are drying out quickly.  I was amazed at how dry the fine fuels around our cabins have gotten in just the past week without watering.  This reminds me of 2007 in the Flathead, where we had a very busy season after incredible heat in early July.  Our live fuel moistures are reasonable, but the dead fuel moistures are dropping radically (hear the crunching under your feet when you walk through the woods???)

Here is a link to the current Wildland Fire Outlook:  https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

Stay tuned, be careful, and make sure our Firewise Day is on your calendar for July 19 (tap here to get a PDF copy).  Byron Bonney’s presentation is not to be missed!

Don’t forget to get your AIS prevention pass for anglers

As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, Montana anglers are reminded that they need to purchase a new Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass.

The AIS Prevention Pass is required for all anglers, in addition to a fishing license. The cost is $2 for residents and $15 for nonresidents. This is not a license fee increase, but rather an additional requirement from the 2017 Montana Legislature to fund the fight against aquatic invasive species such as mussels.

The pass is available at all Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks license providers and online at fwp.mt.gov. If you purchased a fishing license prior to May 19, you will need to obtain an AIS pass.

“We know this will be an inconvenience for some anglers, but protecting the health of our waterways is critical,” said FWP director Martha Williams. “The AIS program we have in place is our best chance at keeping mussels from spreading to other Montana waters and at keeping other invasive species from gaining a foothold in the state.”

Also included in SB 363 was a fee for hydro-electric facilities. The AIS Prevention Pass is anticipated to generate about $3.2 million in revenue per year. The hydro-electric fee will generate about $3.7 million.

The 2017 Legislature provided additional funding for FWP’s aquatic invasive species program after the discovery last fall of aquatic invasive mussel larvae in water samples from Tiber Reservoir. The response plan includes increasing the number of inspection stations around the state, operating decontamination stations at both Tiber and Canyon Ferry Reservoir, an expanded public education and outreach effort, and doubling the water sampling efforts for mussel larvae around Montana.

Also, because it is a separate program and not a fee increase, the pass can be purchased by non-anglers as well who would want to help contribute to Montana’s fight against aquatic invasive species.

Grizzly Bear Presentation by Tim Manley before July Business Meeting

Tim Manley from the FWP will be giving a talk on grizzly bear management at Sondreson Hall on July 1 before the NFLA’s Business Meeting. His talks starts at 7PM. The Business Meeting starts at 8PM.

Tim was born in Great Falls, MT and went to college at Colorado State University where he graduated with a degree in Wildlife Biology. He moved back to Montana in 1981 and started mapping grizzly bear habitat for the Forest Service on the Kootenai in 1982. In 1984 Tim began working on the Cabinet Mtns grizzly program based out of Libby. Then in 1989, he started on the South Fork Grizzly Project.

Since 1993, Tim has been the Grizzly Bear Management Specialist for Montana FWP where he has been doing a great job minimizing conflicts between people and bears.

Come join your neighbors and friends to learn from Tim about grizzly bears in general, bears in our area, and get some tips on how to remove bear attractants.

North Fork Booklovers – July 20

The first 2017 meeting of the North Fork Booklovers will be Thursday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Dick and Janet Leigh, 15920 North Fork Rd. Our book will be “Dancing at the Rascal Fair” by Ivan Doig. It’s a great work of fiction about Scottish settlers in Montana in the late 1800s. If you have any questions, please contact Janet at Janet.l.leigh@gmail.com or 406-253-5680. Hope to see you there.

Upcoming Bike Rides

2017 Bike ride from Avalanche Campground to The Loop by Val Cox
2017 Bike ride from Avalanche Campground to The Loop by Val Cox

Date:  Sunday, June 25   

Route:  Camas Road to Apgar (and back)  also known locally as the  “Ride for Ice Cream”
Distance:  22 miles round trip
Difficulty:  Moderately strenuous (three miles of uphill at the start of the return trip)
Meeting Time:  9:00 am at the parking area on the Camas Road by the stop sign you encounter less than a mile after crossing over the Camas Bridge from the North Fork Road

Date:  Wednesday, June 28   

Route:  Upper Hawk Creek
Distance:  11 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Meeting Time:  9:00 am at the junction Red Meadow Road and the North Fork Road (Note:  We will return in time for Wernick’s garden sale.)

Date:  Friday, June 30  

Route:   Cyclone Notch to Big Creek
Distance:  16 miles
Difficulty:  Moderate (a few small uphills, but mostly downhill)
Note:  This ride requires a shuttle.  Contact Valerie Cox  at 406-570-7734 or vk.cox@icloud.com to arrange the shuttle.
Meeting Time:  Meet at 9:30 am at the junction of the Big Creek Road #316 (just north of Big Creek Outdoor Center) and the North Fork Road to drop shuttle vehicles.  From there we will drive to Cyclone Notch where the bike ride begins.

Community Float from the Border to Ford – June 27

2015 Float from the Border to FordA float trip from the Border to Ford has been organized. The June 27th river float will begin at the Border at 11 am and take out at Ford. Dick Leigh will leave a car at Ford for shuttle back up to the Border. Please bring a lunch to enjoy with your neighbors and friends on the river. And don’t forget your life jacket!

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