NFLA – Page 54 – North Fork Landowners Association

Results of the August 2017 Business Meeting

The August 2017 Business Meeting was held last evening. There was a proposed by-laws amendment on the table to change the business meeting day from the first Saturday of the month to the second Sunday of the month. This proposed amendment was approved by 2/3 of the members attending the meeting last evening. The time of the business meeting was not changed. As a result, the business meeting dates for the remainder of the year are:

Sunday, September 10 at 8PM
Sunday, October 8 at 8PM

Before the September meeting there will be a presentation at 7PM be Lois Walker: The NFLA’s 70^th Anniversary: Seven Decades of People, Issues and Activities.

Our new Board of Directors is as follows:

President Larry Wilson: e-mail (and also send a letter via the mail to Box3 Columbia Falls, Mt 59912 or Kintla Ranch Road Polebridge Mt 59928)
Vice President Rachel Peura: e-mail
Past President Randy Kenyon: e-mail
Treasurer Chris Heitz; e-mail
Secretary Dawn Olson Jacobson: e-mail
North Director Lynn Ogle: e-mail
North Director: Irv Heitz: e-mail
South Director Kevin Ulrichsen: e-mail
South Director Bill Walker: e-mail

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 2^nd Sunday of each month (as opposed to the current 1^st 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.

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.

Date: Sunday, June 25

Date: Wednesday, June 28

Date: Friday, June 30