The “Wildfire Information” page has a couple of minor updates.
First off, the phone numbers for reporting wildfires are now prominently displayed.
Also, the description of the Kalispell Interagency Dispatch Center has been updated to include information on accessing the incident logs — very handy when you want to know why there are trucks and helicopters running around the neighborhood.
The Daily Inter Lake has a nice profile of Gael Bissel, a well-regarded wildlife biologist who recently retired from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks . . .
Chances are you don’t know her name, but if you’ve ever hunted state lands along the Thompson River Corridor, reeled in a fish from the streams of the Swan River State Forest or simply savored the natural beauty of the Bull River Valley, you ought to thank Gael Bissell.
Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Bissell officially retired earlier this month after a 31-year career as a wildlife biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, having had a hand in nearly a quarter of a million acres of wildlife habitat conservation.
Working behind the scenes with myriad public and private partners, she helped secure a combination of land purchases, donations and easements throughout Northwest Montana worth approximately $120 million.
For those of you who can’t wait on the mail, the North Fork Preservation Association Summer 2015 Newsletter is now available online in the “Newsletters” section of the website. Enjoy!
Here’s a partial table of contents:
On Saturday, July 25, the annual meeting of the North Fork Preservation Association will be held at Sondreson Community Hall on the North Fork Road at Whale Creek.
At 7:30 pm Vernon Finley, Chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe and Keeper of the Kootenai Language, will speak on topics relating to Kootenai history. He is well known for being an engaging speaker.
The 7:30 pm program is preceded by a potluck dinner starting at 5pm and election of officers at 6:45 pm. Everyone is invited.
For more information phone (406) 888-5084
As mentioned here earlier, Glacier Park is soliciting public comment on their plans for the Inside North Fork Road. The comment period ends August 3. Here’s the meat of the official press release on the subject . . .
Glacier National Park is preparing an environmental assessment for the management of the inside North Fork Road and encouraging public comment by August 3. Public comments will help identify issues and alternatives to be considered and evaluated in the planning process.
The inside North Fork Road is located within the park. It is a seasonal gravel road approximately 40 miles in length. It begins near the south end of Lake McDonald continuing to Kintla Lake near the Canadian border. The road was constructed in 1901 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Currently, the road is open between the Fish Creek Campground and Camas Creek on the south end of the road, and between Polebridge and the Logging Creek Ranger Station on the north end of the road. Hikers and bikers may utilize the entirety of the inside North Fork Road. The middle section of the road is not open to motorized use due to road damage.
Since 2006 annual flooding has caused significant and recurring damage to the inside North Fork Road, particularly near the Anaconda Creek and Logging Creek areas. Another area of the road, near the North Fork of the Flathead River between Quartz Lake and Logging Creek, known as Lover’s Leap, is also an area of concern. The river is beginning to undercut this section of the road due to sloughing of the riverbank. Culvert additions and replacements along much of the road and new road base are needed in several locations.
In response, the park has brought in materials to mend damaged areas over the past several years. These fixes have been short-lived and resulted in deposition of road base and sediment into waterways, raising concern for fisheries and the health of riparian communities. In 2014, the park contracted an engineering firm to analyze options for road repairs at Anaconda and Logging Creeks, and Lover’s Leap. Cost estimates for these three repairs ranged from $682,000 to $735,000.
The park’s general management plan calls for preservation of the area’s wild character, with provision of only rustic visitor facilities. The road provides access to four primitive auto campgrounds and several trailheads. These few developments are surrounded by recommended wilderness.
Bull trout, a federally listed threatened species, and westslope cutthroat trout, a Montana State listed species of concern, utilize riparian habitat on and near the North Fork of the Flathead River, including federally designated critical habitat for bull trout. Road failures near Anaconda Bridge and Logging Creek are causing localized stream habitat degradation, with the potential to adversely impact bull trout critical habitat.
Given the repairs needed, associated costs, and ongoing maintenance requirements and resource concerns, the park is considering the overall future of the inside North Fork Road. An environmental assessment is being prepared for the management of the road. Objectives include developing a sustainable approach for maintenance and repair of the road, improving natural stream function in riparian areas, reducing adverse impacts on fisheries, and continuing to provide recreation opportunities in the North Fork area of the park.
A scoping brochure is available online, and comments and concerns regarding the project should be submitted online at parkplanning.nps.gov/InsideNorthForkRoad. Comments and concerns can also be mailed to Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: inside North Fork Road, PO Box 128, West Glacier, MT 59936. Comments should be submitted by August 3.
Here’s some interesting research on the relationship between beaver activity and amphibian populations . . .
Beavers in Glacier National Park modify wetlands in a way that makes them better suited for the health of the park’s amphibian population, according to a study published this month.
The paper, published in the journal Biological Conservation, suggests that even though most amphibian populations are shrinking, the influence of beavers on their habitats can decrease the severity of the decline. While the influence isn’t enough to reverse the trend – many amphibians are falling prey to a fungus unrelated to the absence of beavers – they can mitigate it.
In 2002, Blake R. Hossack and six other researchers began studying the distribution of amphibians in Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain national parks. The project was a joint monitoring program with the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service.
Fire crews are working a small (1/4 – 1/2 acres at last report) wildfire 2.4 miles west of Mt. Hefty, near Frozen Lake Road and close to the border. The Forest Service had crews and equipment on site by yesterday afternoon, with helicopters staging from Wurtz airstrip.
An announcement from Kascie Herron of Montanans for Healthy Rivers . . .
For the last four years, Montanans for Healthy Rivers has been asking citizens around the state what they love about their rivers and how they want to see those rivers protected. The results of a 2014 bipartisan survey showed that approximately 75% of Montanans support the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as a tool to protect more Montana rivers. Thanks to the input of hundreds of Montanans, including business owners, landowners, conservation groups, sportsman groups, land trusts (the list goes on!) and many of you, we are ready to share our draft Citizen’s Proposal for New Wild and Scenic Rivers in Montana.
Please join us on Friday, July 17 from 8-9pm at Sondreson Community Hall, to learn about the draft Citizen’s Proposal and to share your feedback on the rivers being considered in the North Fork. This proposal will need your fine tuning and support in order to be successful.
For more information on who we are, please visit our website at http://healthyriversmt.org/.
We look forward to seeing you there!
The summer North Fork Inter Local Agreement meeting will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15 at Sondreson Hall. Start time is 1:00 p.m. The meeting is preceded by a potluck lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m., with the North Fork Trails Association providing the burgers and brats. Please bring a side dish.
And don’t forget the annual Firewise Day meeting in the morning, starting at 9:30 a.m.
The Inter Local Agreement provides for face-to-face contact with representatives of agencies whose policies and actions affect the North Fork. Interlocal Agreement meetings are held in the winter (in town) and summer (at Sondreson Hall). This is always a very interesting meeting, with reports from a range of government agencies and local organizations and often some quite vigorous discussion.
Fire crews stayed busy chasing down several small fires over the past few days . . .
Thunderstorms and other sources of ignition over the weekend started a smattering of small fires across Northwest Montana with 22 wildfires reported, although only a few consumed more than a fraction of an acre.
Two fires started Friday in Glacier National Park.
Katie Liming, a park spokeswoman, said a fire at Doverspike Meadow up the North Fork was extinguished by four firefighters after torching about 1.25 acres.
On Monday, firefighters were still working on a 2.25-acre wildfire on Howe Ridge in an area burned by the Robert Fire in 2003.