At the NFLA Business Meeting last Saturday evening, Carol Groebe announced that the Community River Float scheduled for Thursday August 13th would take place. Anyone who is interested in helping plan the float is invited to join Carol at the Northern Lights Saloon on Monday August 10th at 1PM. The decision regarding when and where for the float will be announced on the bulletin boards at the Polebridge Mercantile, Home Ranch Bottoms, and outside of Sondreson Community Hall. Carol also said that the float scheduled for August 28th would most likely be canceled due to low water, but check back on the bulletin boards for more information.
2016 Board of Directors Elections
At the NFLA Business Meeting last Saturday evening, new members were elected to the Board of Directors. Randy Kenyon replaced Karen McDonough as President while Karen will be moving into the Past President position replacing outgoing Past President Debo Powers. Allen Chrisman is moving from his 2015 position as North Director to the Vice President slot, replacing outgoing Vice President Donna Harrison. Don Sullivan will be serving as the new North Director for two years and Paul Marotz will continue serving as the other North Director for one more year. Jan Caldwell was elected as the new South Director replacing outgoing South Director Carol Groebe. Jan will be serving for two years while Alan McNeil serves one more term as the other South Director. It was also announced at the meeting that long time Treasurer Bonny Ogle will be transitioning out of that position for the next year helping Heather Sullivan step in.
All of the community appreciates the time and hard work of all the outgoing officers. Thank you Karen, Debo, Donna, and Carol for taking such good care of the NFLA. And we are also grateful to Bonny for all of her hard work over the years and her willingness to work with Heather during the transition. Finally, we appreciate the new members of the Board volunteering their time to take up these positions.
Wildland Fire Potential Outlook – Aug. 1
Here is the latest Wildland Fire Potential Outlook: http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf.
They have been pretty accurate this year in their forecasts. Here are a couple of excerpts from the Outlook regarding the Northern Rockies:
Northern Rockies: Above normal significant wildland fire potential will continue over northern Idaho and northwestern Montana from August through mid-September, with conditions returning to normal for the remainder of the outlook period through November. The rest of the Area will see normal significant wildland fire potential for the entire outlook period.
Long range data suggests that typical hot and dry conditions can be expected for August and early September, which would promote normal activity during the peak of fire season in most areas, except northwest Montana and N Idaho where above normal activity is possible. The same data suggests a pattern shift to a cool, wet pattern during the second half of September. Should this occur, it should be sufficient to begin to wind down fire season 2015.
Looking beyond September, the Northern Rockies Region is typically out of fire season. However, significant wind events during the transition from fall to winter can sometimes produce brief flare ups of activity mainly east of the Continental Divide until the snow falls. Given that this will be an El Niño fall and early winter, chances are good that the arrival of the winter snow will be late.
While it mentions elsewhere in the report that the dead fuels in Northern Idaho and Western Montana have extremely low moisture content, they also note that the live fuels are cured, dry and available. We might be in a little better shape up the North Fork in terms of live fuels, especially those that are shaded and not out in the open. This is small consolation, however, since as we have observed, fires will move quickly through the dead component and consume the live component even if the live component does not actively assist in the spread.
So, I’m looking forward to the middle of September and hope that cooler, moister conditions move in as forecasted. Until then, keep your fire tools sharp and your water handy…
Below is the most recent ERC (Energy Release Component) graph for our area (Glacier Park and Bob Marshall Complex) which represents the receptiveness and volatility of the forest fuels:
You can see that the moisture we got in July moderated the ERC’s for 2015 (blue line) significantly compared to the path they were on before the 4th of July. We are just returning to the levels we saw at the first of July, but are well ahead and above an average year (grey line), and will be getting back close to the max again (red line). Let’s hope we get good moisture out of the system forecasted early this week, without the lightning….
“Creeks” Donate to Sondreson Hall Fund
The “Creeks of the North Fork” float won first place in the Polebridge 4th of July Parade this year. The first place prize, donated by the Merc and the Saloon, was $100 to spend at the Merc or Saloon and $100 to be donated to whatever non-profit organization the group chose. “Creeks of the North Fork” spent their prize money on a pizza party on Friday night. The group decided that the $100 donation should go to a North Fork non-profit organization. After some discussion about which organization, they reached consensus on the NFLA Improvement Fund for Community Hall Maintenance since having use of Sondreson Hall benefits everyone in the North Fork. Most of the 18 members of the float attended the pizza party (although not everyone was present when the picture was taken).
Montana Land Reliance Spotted Knapweed Biocontrol Workshop – August 21
Following is a message from Tris Hoffman, Weed Coordinator for the Forest Service… Hello everyone! Attached is a flyer for a biological control (bug) workshop in Kalispell on August 21st from 1PM-6PM at the Flathead Valley Community College Arts and Technology Building. The field portion of the workshop is currently planned at a gravel pit west of Tally Lake where we have introduced 2 kinds of knapweed-eating insects. I know all this is a long distance from ya’ll, but if you happened to already be in town or couldn’t get enough pounding on the wash-boarded road, register and join in!
This workshop is free of charge, but you need to register in advance. Contact Mark at 406-837-2178 or mark@mtlandreliance.org.
Cookout on the border has been cancelled
The cookout at the border station scheduled for Wednesday, July 29 at 5:00 pm has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond their control. They will reschedule and announce the new date soon.
After Years of Drought, Wildfires Rage in California
The New York Times published an interesting article with some powerful photographs talking about the hot, dry conditions and resulting fires that are happening this year in California in particular and the West in general. Check out the article here.
Pie & Ice Cream Social and Square Dance a Big Success
Saturday night at the Hall was a fun time for North Forkers. The Hall was filled with the voices of people visiting and enjoying each other’s company. Not only was the counter filled with wonderful pies and homemade ice cream, but most people stayed afterwards to square dance or watch from the sidelines. Many families came with their children. Young people always make the event even more special……. especially the look of glee on their faces as they participate in the square dancing! We had three squares throughout the night with people filtering in and out of the squares in order to take breaks and give others a chance to dance. Thanks to Linda Pitman for hosting this wonderful event!
Don’t forget that there is another square dance in August. So get out your crazy hats and come join everyone on Saturday August 15th starting at 8PM. For more information, see the calendar.
Silent Auction Raised Funds for the NFLA
The silent action held last evening at Sondreson Hall just before the NFLA Business Meeting was well attended. Eighteen items were donated including baked goods, hand crafted jewelry, Aladdin’s Lamp, and an original oil painting by Ruth Sondreson donated by Cecily McNeil. Gift certificates from Home Ranch Bottoms, the Northern Lights, and the Polebridge Mercantile were also on offer and very much appreciated. At one point Larry Wilson had his bid in for at least five different baked goods but ended up taking home Ray Hart’s prized Flathead Sour Cherry pie. Everyone enjoyed the hour of socializing and competing for their favorite items. And altogether over $800 was raised for the NFLA Improvement fund. We want to thank everyone who participated.
Don’t forget that the 2015 Firewise Day and Summer Interlocal Meeting are taking place on Wednesday, July 15th, at Sondreson Hall starting at 9:30AM. Check out all of the NFLA events on the NFLA calendar.
Advice for the 2015 Fire Season
The fire season is upon us here in the Northfork
Should we have a fire which is actually on the ground; there are a few things to think about to protect your property, yourself, family, friends and neighbors.
1. Know your escape route. Plan your route and know that you can make it out ahead of danger.
2. In the event you or family members have health problems get out early. Do not wait until the last minute to leave. The smoke can be more deadly to someone with breathing or other health issues than the actual fire.
3. Have your most valuable personal items packed and do not plan on having some of your friends come from the valley if the fire is threatening your home.
4. Have your roof clear of debris, i.e. branches, needles, leaves and any other items that you have neglected to remove.
5. If you store firewood around your building, move it away from the building into an open area. You can always move it back in the fall. Firewood gathers fire embers and will burn as easily in a pile on your deck or under you porch as it would in the stove and it will burn your home down.
6. Have your water on and keep your yard as green as possible. If your lawn has already turned brown you can mow it off close to the ground. Fire needs fuel to burn. You can put rain bird sprinklers on your deck, porch and or roof.
7. Let’s say that the road to your home is 10 feet wide, you need to clear the brush and trees back ten feet on either side. If a pickup or other larger vehicle cannot get to your home without rubbing branches or brush, you cannot expect fire personnel to go into your home to protect it.
8. You need to have your fire resistant clothing ready and in a place that you can get into it easily. Your clothing needs to consist of the following:
A. 100% cotton clothing, unless you have fire resistant clothing, i.e. Jeans, black or blue.
B. You need to have lace up boots. Fighting fire in clogs, flip-flops’, tennis shoes, boat-shoes etc. is a dangerous thing to do.
C. If you are wearing clothing that is Spandex or other lightweight flammable materials, you are making yourself into a medical problem. The new lightweight materials are usually very flammable and you can be shrink-wrapped in an instant if you are close to the fire.
D. Have a good pair of leather gloves. The gloves should be the kind that you wear and are somewhat broken in. Do not use gloves that have no fingers or are full of holes in them.
E. Have all of your shovels, saws and fuels away from your home or garage or other out building. Note, shovel, rake and other tools handles burn. The middle of your lawn is good, or if you have a large open space. Mow the area and rake all of the grasses and other debris away from your fuel area. Then cover with a good heavy canvas tarp, NOT a plastic blue, green, silver or any other color you might have as they are usually made from a petroleum produce and burn readily.
F. MAKE SURE THAT YOU TURN OFF YOU PROPANE TANKS AT THE TANK.
In the event of a major fire, the incident management team may have a team of structure protection people come around and triage your home and or property. If you have not made your home fire-wise, or you have a drive that is not safe to put fire personnel in on, you should be aware that your home will NOT be protected.
Plan ahead, live longer and be safe.
Lynn P Ogle, Fire Chief
Trail Creek Fire Service Company
(Aka; The Trail Creek Irregulars)