All posts by nfpa

Larry Wilson: North Forkers to be studied

Commentary, , , ,

This week, Larry wraps up the year-end news and discusses the impending arrival of a group from the University of Montana Geography Department . . .

Another holiday season is over. On the North Fork, we had a great Christmas party, a collection of New Year’s Eve gatherings and 30 people gathered on the bank of the river for the annual beach party.

There was just enough snow to ride through the woods on snowmobiles and gather around two brightly burning campfires to enjoy hot dogs, baked beans, chili and an assortment of liquid stimulants, as well as each other’s company.

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Flathead Basin snowpack just 69 percent of average

News, ,

Confirming what everyone has noticed, snow accumulation is considerably less than normal so far this winter . . .

Mountain snowpack in the Flathead River Basin is 69 percent of average, according to Jan. 1 figures from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Kootenai River Basin to the west has snowpack that is 88 percent of average.Statewide, mountain snowpack is below average.

Jan. 1 represents about 45 percent of the expected seasonal snowfall, so more than half of the snowfall season remains.

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Winter North Fork Interlocal meeting scheduled for February 15

News,

The winter Interlocal meeting is scheduled for February 15. Here’s the official announcement from the North Fork Landowners’ Association website . . .

The 2012 North Fork Winter Interlocal will be hosted by Glacier National Park February 15, 2012 at the Glacier National Park Headquarters’ Community Building in West Glacier. The meeting will take place from 10am-1pm and include updates from all of the North Fork organizations and local agencies. Agencies planning to present include Glacier National Park, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Flathead National Forest, the US Border Patrol, State Lands, Flathead County and others.

If you already have questions that you would like to ask, send them to contact@nflandowners.org and we’ll pass them along to the event organizers. Giving the presenters an opportunity to prepare in advance always helps ensure that the best information is provided.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear what is happening in our area and exchange ideas. For more information about who will be participating, see the draft meeting agenda here.

Larry Wilson: North Forkers throw beach party

Commentary, , ,

Larry reports on the North Fork Christmas and New Year festivities . . .

Boy, did we have a great Christmas party. Hosts Caldwell and Heaphy must have spent most of a day decorating the hall. There were twinkling lights overhead, brightly decorated tables and counters, and a 10-foot decorated Christmas tree. Even the front porch was decorated with boughs and bright red bows, and there was a greeter (Jan Caldwell) with a funny hat.

That was only the beginning . . .

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Larry Wilson: Be prepared for winter jaunts into the Montana backcountry

Commentary, ,

This week, Larry discusses the importance of preparedness when traveling in the backcountry during winter . . .

As I write this on the Friday before Christmas, knowing that it won’t be read until after Christmas, I still can’t help but wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

As of today, we have very little snow and only a chance that more will fall before Christmas. I know the skiers and snowmobilers are unhappy about no snow, but it fits the old fat guy just fine.

Lack of snow in the lower elevations does not eliminate outdoor recreation. It just changes it. This week, North Valley Search and Rescue responded up Canyon Creek to rescue an ATV rider. With little snow in the river bottoms, this individual tried to ride his ATV between Canyon Creek and Big Creek. Higher up, he got his ATV stuck and couldn’t get it out.

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More snowy owls migrate to Montana this winter

Environmental Issues, News

This is pretty interesting. It seems Montana is getting more than its share of snowy owls this winter . . .

More snowy owls appear to have migrated from the Arctic to Montana and other states this winter in search of food.

The owls are identifiable by their brilliant white color, measure 2 feet tall or taller and have wingspans of nearly 5 feet.

In Montana, the owls have been seen from Kalispell to Plentywood and as far south as the Crow Reservation.

Last week, one snowy owl was spotted in the area of the Kidsports complex and Glacier High School in north Kalispell while five owls were observed in the Somers area.

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Wolf hunting to close in large section of NW Montana; quota reached

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

This AP article is referring to Wolf Management Unit 101, which covers a good portion of Flathead and Lincoln counties. Wolf hunting is still open in Unit 110, covering the North Fork. See the FWP Wolf Hunting Guide page for more detail . . .

Wildlife officials say wolf hunting will close in portions of northwest Montana on Thursday after hunters filled the harvest quota for the area.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Tom Palmer said hunters filled the 19-wolf quota for a wildlife management area that includes portions of Lincoln and Flathead counties.

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Montana’s first oil well was up the North Fork near Kintla Lake

History, , ,

The Daily Inter Lake has a story about boom and bust oil exploration in Montana, including its beginnings in 1901 near Kintla Lake . . .

The history of oil in Montana began in an area that never had any substantial development of the natural resource — the Flathead Valley.

The state’s first oil well was drilled by Butte Oil Co. in 1901 in the Kintla Lake area that’s now part of Glacier National Park.

American Indians and fur trappers knew about oil seeps in that area and early-day prospectors wondered about the potential for oil when bear hides sold at Tobacco Plains smelled of kerosene, according to a historical overview of mining in Montana compiled by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act dead for 2011

Environmental Issues, News,

It’s official, Sen. Jon Tester’s “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” is dead for this year . . .

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act was not included in a House version of the 2012 omnibus bill to fund the federal government that was released Thursday morning, setting off a round of finger-pointing between his office and that of Rep. Denny Rehberg.

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Larry Wilson: Seeking common ground

Commentary,

Larry addresses the importance of unity in diversity when it comes to land planning and other broad community issues . . .

This week at the invitation of the Swan Valley Community organization, I traveled with Mark Shiltz, Montana Land Reliance staffer, to speak to that community about how the North Fork got involved in land-use planning.

Although we see the results of that effort every day – we now have minimum lot sizes, setbacks, interlocal meetings and other improvements – I had not thought about how it all got started for years. There aren’t many of us left from those beginnings, and I think they’re worth recalling.

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