All posts by nfpa

Report says national forest trails need a lot of work

News,

The U.S. General Accounting Office just released a discouraging report on the state of the Forest Service trail network. No surprise to anyone familiar with the North Folk’s trail inventory, only about a fourth of them receive adequate maintenance . . .

A new federal report says only one-quarter of U.S. Forest Service trails meet the agency’s own standards as it attempts to catch up with a $524 million maintenance deficit.

Volunteer groups like the Backcountry Horsemen of America and The Wilderness Society have stepped into that gap, but they worry the backlog will drive folks out of the woods.

“We found problems with trail maintenance was undermining support for wilderness and public land in general,” said Paul Spitler, director of wilderness campaigns for The Wilderness Society…

Continue reading . . .

Additional material: GAO report on the state of Forest Service trails

The Glacier Institute at 30

News,

The Great Falls Tribune posted an excellent article on the Glacier Institute . . .

Justin Barth’s first experience with the Glacier Institute as a sixth grader left a lasting impression.

“I remember putting on waders, hopping into Big Creek, finding bugs and looking at them under a microscope,” said the Kalispell native. “At the time, seeing them magnified kind of scared me.”

Ten years later, as program manager of the Institute’s West Glacier Field Camp, he’s eagerly leading others through the same discoveries…

For 30 years, the Glacier Institute has made the natural world accessible, fascinating and memorable to tens of thousands of children and adults. That several of its seasonal staff, like Barth, first attended as schoolchildren, is a testament to its enduring influence.

Continue reading . . .

Glacier Park hosts 4th annual Noxious Weed Blitz, Tuesday, July 23

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Glacier Nation Park is sponsoring their fourth annual Noxious Weed Blitz on Tuesday, July 23. For those who can’t make the event, there’s also an online course. Here’s the press release . . .

Glacier National Park’s Citizen Science Program announces two opportunities to help with early detection of invasive plants along park trails: Noxious Weed Blitz on July 23 and an on-line training course for the Invasive Plants Citizen Science program. Both opportunities are free of charge and open to the public.

The fourth annual Noxious Weed Blitz will take place on Tuesday, July 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., meeting at the park’s Community Building in West Glacier. Participants will be trained to assist the Invasive Plant Management Program by learning to identify, map, and pull invasive plants. A free lunch will be provided by the Glacier National Park Conservancy. Be prepared to spend the afternoon in the outdoors, pulling invasive plants. Please bring gloves for hand pulling, footwear for hiking, and drinking water. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.

An on-line training opportunity teaches participants how to identify five targeted invasive plants, conduct surveys, and map locations of invasive plants using GPS units. Once training has been completed, visitors may check-out GPS units from the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center to detect invasive plants while in the park. The on-line training program can be accessed at http://www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/ccrlc-citizen-science_weeds.htm.

Continue reading . . .

MWA sponsors day of exploring Whitefish Range

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The Montana Wilderness Association has organized a free guided tour of the Whitefish Range . . .

On Saturday, July 13, guide Brian Baxter will lead a day of exploring the Whitefish Mountain Range as part of the Montana Wilderness Association’s free “Flora, Fauna, Footprints, Fur and Feathers” educational program.

Baxter has spent countless hours searching for wolverine and other wildlife species in this area as well as doing forestry and botanical surveys. Baxter has degrees in both forestry and wildlife management, and over 38 years of experience in the field. He also leads winter tracking classes in the Flathead Valley.

Participants will learn about vegetation and wildflowers and study an overall wildlife outlook, animal tracking, furbearer overview including lynx and wolverine, and birds of prey in this unique habitat.

Continue reading . . .

Montana increases wolf hunt bag limit; tightens restrictions near Yellowstone

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Montana raised the wolf hunt bag limit to five wolves per person, but added restrictions near Yellowstone National Park. The maximum number of wolves that can be taken in the North Fork remains at two.

Here’s the Flathead Beacon’s write-up . . .

Montana Fish and Wildlife commissioners on Wednesday increased the bag limit from one to five wolves per person and extended the state’s next hunting season, but they also set new restrictions in areas adjacent to Yellowstone National Park.

Continue reading . . .

New Forest Service report on management of wildfire risk to homes

Environmental Issues, Fire Information and Status, News, ,

The U.S. Forest Service released a new report on managing wildfire danger on the “wildland-urban” interface, a subject of special interest on the North Fork . . .

Earlier this year, U.S. Forest Service researchers found that roughly 90 percent of fuel reduction treatments on national forests were effective in reducing the intensity of wildfire while also allowing for better wildfire control.

The report, “Wildfire, Wildlands, and People: Understanding and Preparing for Wildfire in the Wildland-Urban Interface,” synthesizes the latest research and provides examples of what communities in the wildland-urban interface can do to reduce their risk by becoming “fire adapted.”

Continue reading . . .

Montana FWP approves Coal Creek habitat improvement project

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

As expected, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has approved the “South Fork of Coal Creek Habitat Enhancement Project” . . .

State fisheries managers approved increased spawning of westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout and habitat improvements on the South Fork of Coal Creek in Flathead County.

Continue reading . . .

North Fork Preservation Association annual meeting features presentation by Rick Mace

News, , , ,

The North Fork Preservation Association’s annual meeting will be held on, Saturday, July 27 at Sondreson Hall.

Events kick off with a potluck at 5:00 p.m. The NFPA will supply burgers and sausages. Bring anything else that might be tasty. (Note that the webmaster is fond of rhubarb pie. Just saying.)

The business meeting is at 7:00 p.m. — or a bit earlier if everyone is done eating.

The main program begins at 7:30 p.m. with a talk by Rick Mace, biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a North Fork landowner. He will give a presentation titled “What We Are Learning About Grizzlies from Catching Them in the North and South Fork”.

North Fork Interlocal meeting coming up July 10

News

This summer’s Interlocal meeting is coming up on Wednesday, July 10, at Sondreson Hall. The meeting starts at 1:00 p.m. and is sponsored by the North Fork Compact. Interlocal meetings are held twice each year, winter and summer. These semi-annual get-togethers are intended to encourage open discussion between North Fork landowners and neighbors and local, state and federal agencies.

In other words, it’s a big deal if you have an interest in the North Fork.

Preceeding the Interlocal meeting, is the annual FireWise Day Workshop at 9:30 a.m. and lunch at noon.