North Fork Winter Interlocal Agreement 2015 Meeting Minutes

Michael Dardis from the Flathead National Forest and Tim Thier from FWPThe winter North Fork Interlocal Agreement meeting took place last Wednesday, February 11th, at the Community Building in West Glacier. As in the past, this meeting was well attended by North Forkers and agency representatives alike. Allen Chrisman was kind enough to take extensive notes and turn them into minutes for the meeting. These include answers to specific questions submitted by North Forkers prior to the meeting. These are attached here as a pdf. The next Interlocal Agreement meeting will take place this coming summer. Keep an eye on the NFLA calendar for the date and details.

Ed “Mac” McNeil Passed

Ed McNeil2Last Sunday, February 8th, long time North Forker Ed “Mac” McNeil passed away. Mac and his wife Cecily bought land near Dutch Creek in Glacier National Park in the early 60s.   They later bought 103 acres and built a cabin on the other side of the river near Moose Creek and lived there during the summers.

Mac and Cecily were early members of the North Fork Improvement Association which turned into the North Fork Landowners Association of today. They also worked to get a zoning petition and helped to found the North Fork Compact in 1973 in an effort to save the North Fork from development.

North Forkers have fond memories of events and square dances with Mac McNeil, Cecily, and their two sons Alan and Bruce. Mac will be missed.

If you are interested in hearing more about the North Fork from Mac and Cecily, there are audio interviews with them both on the North Fork History Project web page. You can get to that by clicking here.

There is also an excellent obituary provided by the Daily Inter Lake.

 

Reminders

The new year has begun and the NFLA is getting organized for the summer.  Here are a couple of reminders.

  • Don’t forget to pay your dues by March 1 so that you get your copy of the NFLA 2015 Newsletter this spring.  For more information, check out this announcement.
  • Now is the time to get your event scheduled on the NFLA 2015 Calendar.  Contact Carol Dolan-Groebe at caroldg1@gmail.com if you have an NFLA-related event that you would like everyone to know about for this year.
  • And check out the NFLA calendar as the year goes along to see all the events scheduled.

University of Montana returns to the North Fork

The University of Montana returns to the North Fork from Sunday January 18 until Friday January 23. And the usual Monday night program by Rick and Susie Graetz – Monday January 19 at 6:30 PM in the Community Center – will be presented. This event this year features a new version of “This Is Montana.”

THIS IS MONTANA

It’s been called an Uncommon Land, High Wide and Handsome, the Treasure State. The Land of the Shining Mountains and Big Sky Country…whatever the label, this Montana is a grand mix of geography and history – time and space go well together in this corner of America. Continue reading University of Montana returns to the North Fork

Fall 2014 Enrollment Letter

It’s that time of year again, time for the Fall Enrollment Letter where North Fork landowners are encouraged to get involved with the NFLA.  The enrollment has been mailed out, but in case yours goes astray, here it is in an electronic version: 2014 Enrollment Letter.

Generating and mailing the Fall Enrollment Letter and Spring Newsletter takes a lot of work and time on the part of some dedicated NFLA members.  We want to thank Bonny Ogle, Lois Walker, Heather Sullivan, Allen Chrisman and everyone else involved for volunteering to do this work that will give all North Fork landowners an opportunity to hear about the NFLA and hopefully join in.

You can read a copy of this letter and get all of the past NFLA newsletters from the Newsletters page.

Thanksgiving at the Hall 2014

The community celebrated another wonderful Thanksgiving at the Community Hall last evening.  The roads getting to the hall were icy and slick, but friends and neighbors (some coming all the way from town) were not to be stopped.  Several folks brought appetizers including some delicious deviled eggs. The side dishes were especially good this year including mashed potatoes, several different types of dressing, several different types of corn pudding, green beans with fried onions, cranberry sauces, and salads. Finally, the desserts were wonderful including several different versions of pumpkin pie, pecan pie, a huckleberry/rhubarb crumble, and melt-in-your-mouth toffee.

We want to thank Steve and Christina Berg for hosting this annual event as well as all the folks who helped cook the turkeys and ham, served, and stayed to help clean up.

Don’t forget Christmas Day dinner at the Hall and New Year’s Eve at the Hall.  Both of these events are again open to the public and everyone is welcome.  For more information, see the NFLA calendar.

Fire Mitigation Committee Report, Fall 2014

Firewise Day2014 Firewise Day

The North Fork Landowners’ Association’s Fire Mitigation Committee held its annual Firewise Day workshop on July 16, 2014. The theme of the workshop was “Wildfires Happen: Take Action! Plan. Prepare. Prevent.”

The program began with a powerful DVD about recent major fires in Colorado, with a segment on the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona in 2013. Several outstanding presentations followed. Angela Mallon, Stewardship Specialist with the Montana DNRC’s Forestry Division, used model simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of various fuel treatments. North Fork landowner Larry Kinsolving described the restoration work that he and his wife Ruth are doing on their property in the aftermath of the Wedge Canyon Fire in 2003. The title of his presentation was “Closing the Ring: Fire, Restoration and Beyond.”

The forty attendees heard updates about North Fork activities from representatives of the U. S. Forest Service and the DNRC. They also learned about the status of the North Fork’s current hazardous fuels mitigation grants. Finally, they were given an overview of the Firesafe Montana program by Jennifer LaManna, Firesafe’s Executive Director.

Work completed on the Sondreson Hall Fuels Mitigation ProjectSondreson Community Hall Hazardous Fuels Project

The North Fork Landowners’ Association applied for and received a hazardous fuels reduction grant for work around Sondreson Community Hall. North director Allen Chrisman, who also serves as co-chair of the Fire Mitigation Committee, lined out the project. The objective was to remove surface and ladder fuels and to provide space between the crowns of the remaining trees.

Nineteen volunteers contributed a total of 81 hours and the use of equipment to the Hall project. They sought to minimize soil disturbance and visual impacts, leaving strong, healthy trees in place.   The project was completed in late May 2014 and has been well-received by the community.

Hazardous Fuels Grants

The DNRC awarded the North Fork its fourth hazardous fuels grant in the Fall of 2013, this one in the amount of $91,000. As with our three previous grants, monies are available on a cost-share basis, with the grant paying 75% of the cost and the landowner contributing the remaining 25%.

A priority of the new grant is to reduce fuel accumulations along the lower segment of Trail Creek Road, where it passes through private property. Treating the fuels will provide significant benefits, among them improving ingress and egress for landowners, allowing safer access for firefighters, and affording an escape route over the Whitefish Divide in the event of a large fire or other catastrophic event in the lower North Fork Valley.

The Fire Mitigation Committee is working collaboratively with private landowners, the Forest Service and Flathead County on the Trail Creek Road project.

Sondreson Hall Back Porch Lights

The following report on the maintenance and Sondreson Hall and photo was sent in by Bill Walker…

Thursday, Paul Marotz and I installed lights on the recently upgraded Sondreson Hall back porch. I noticed that someone put the finishing touches to the ramp, too.

Thanks, Paul, and everyone else who has worked so hard on Sondreson Hall this summer/fall.  And thanks Bill for sending in the report.Sondreson Hall Back Porch Lightswas sent in by Bill Walker…

 

 

 

 

Food Drive at the Final Meeting of the Year

It’s that time of year again. All members of the NFLA are encouraged to bring or send non-perishable food items to the October meeting on the 4th. Acceptable donations include non-perishable commercially canned goods, dried foods such as rice, pasta, beans and any packaged food items not requiring refrigeration. Of particular interest is baby food. Another popular item is pancake syrup.

Items that are not acceptable include those that have been opened, are not in their original container, or are damaged in any way. Unfortunately, home canned goods are also considered unacceptable. However, items whose expiration date has passed are acceptable as long as they are not more than two years out of date.

Tax deductible contributions in the form of a check made payable to the Columbia Falls Food Bank are also welcomed.

This food drive is a way for the NFLA members to get involved in a community service project and provide others with a small share of our good fortune. Please set aside appropriate items while cleaning out and closing your North Fork homes for the season and bring them with you to the October meeting. If you aren’t closing up or don’t have these items on hand, pick them up the next time you’re shopping. And if you are not going to be here for the meeting, don’t forget to drop these items off with a friend who will be attending.