Improvements proceed apace. Note the “Contact” link above that takes you to a form where you can send messages and such to the site admin. For now, I’ll pass them on to the appropriate people if the material is not web site related.
And (ahem) this makes it a little easier to get in touch about contributing imagery for possible use in the site banner.
Our refurbished “News & Announcements” page has this nice banner up there at the top. But it would be even nicer if it changed every once in awhile. So, if you folks have any good photos from around the North Fork, send them along. If I use them in the banner, you get featured in the “Banner Photo Credit” area on the sidebar and a nice mention in the web log.
Things to keep in mind:
If you don’t know my direct email, send a note to the “webmaster” address and I’ll tell you how to get stuff to me.
I’ll be waiting with bated breath…
One of the factors in the ongoing road maintenance debate is the impact of paving on increased land development and settlement. Headwaters Economics along with Chris Servheen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Montana just released a report titled “Land Use Effects of Paving Rural Roads in Western Montana” that is relevant to this issue. In Chris’s words…
Headwaters Economics and I have partnered to complete a preliminary analysis of the relationship between the paving of rural roads and the development of adjacent private lands. The report on this work is attached. We believe this is a useful preliminary analysis and that it sets the stage for a more in-depth and through analysis of this most important issue. The paving of rural roads in the West and the resulting impacts on adjacent private land development are one of the greatest challenges faced by wildlife managers and county decision-makers. We hope this report is of value to you.
The report is essentially a series of case studies followed by some carefully qualified observations and conclusions. It’s a bit dry and dusty (sorry, couldn’t resist) in spots, but a worthwhile read.
The deadline for public comments on the proposal to allow helicopter skiing on state lands in the Whitefish Range expired today. Overall attitudes appear to range from cautious skepticism to outright hostility. One of the lengthier responses was an 18-page missive submitted by the Rocky Mountain Region Office of Defenders of Wildlife, covering everything from the applicable regulations and agreements to wildlife impact and the potential disturbance to nearby federal and private holdings. The real meat is in the last paragraph:
This letter has described the complex and varied potential effects of the proposed helicopter skiing operations. In order to completely and carefully examine these effects, we believe the preparation of an environmental impact statement is justified and required. We are also concerned that many interested members of the public may not be aware of these proposals. If it were not for an article in the Kalispell newspaper, we would not know about it ourselves. We found no mention of it on the NDRC website, for example. For these reasons, we look forward to participating in the public review component of an EIS process.
They seem annoyed.
Chris Peterson, photographer for the Hungry Horse News, doesn’t think much of the recent proposal to allow heli-skiing in the North Fork.
From the Thursday, October 9, 2008 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
It seems like once a week someone comes up with a bad idea for the North Fork of the Flathead.
Our friends in Canada propose coal mines in the headwaters (the latest scuttle is that a company is now doing test drilling for gold in Howell Creek, a main tributary of the river).
Down in our neck of the woods the annual (no, weekly) debate is on whether to pave the road and how rough the road is and blah, blah, blah.
Lemme just say this: Folks down here haven’t even seen a rough road until they’ve driven the roads in the Canadian Flathead. They are rough with a capital “R.” Rough enough to jar the fillings right out of Larry Wilson and Bob Grimaldi’s teeth.
But the latest and truly bad idea for the North Fork comes from the fine folks at Triple-X helicopter, who propose heli-skiing up on Coal and Winona ridges just outside of Glacier National Park.
Welcome to the new, improved, visually stimulating NFPA web site!
Well, OK, only the web log part has changed so far, but we’ll be doing more renovating over the next few weeks.
Those of you monitoring the RSS feed will need to make adjustments. It’s probably easiest to just unsubscribe from the old feed and then resubscribe to the new one.
Comments, observations and fulsome praise can be directed to the “webmaster” address listed in the “Administrivia” section of the sidebar. (I’m not ready to enable on-site comments yet.)
Here’s a map of the areas being proposed as possible sites for helicopter skiing. Click on the map to see a larger image (opens in a new window).
The recent proposal to allow heli-skiing on state lands in the Whitefish Range seems to be getting folks stirred up — enough so that the comment period has been extended to October 10.
A recent article in the Hungry Horse News provides a good overview of the the proposal and the circumstances surrounding it.
Comments should be directed to:
Nicole Stickney
Special Uses Forester
Stillwater State Forest
P.O. Box 164
Olney MT 59927
Or by email to nstickney@mt.gov
A great many of the comments submitted so far are from people concerned about wildlife disruption and other impacts in a particularly sensitive area. The following email, sent by Richard Andersen on September 30, is a good example . . .
Nicole Stickney
Special Uses Forester
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Stillwater Unit
Dear Nicole,
As a native Montanan and life-long resident of the Flathead, I am very concerned to know that helicopter skiing is being considered for the Whitefish Range.
The Wednesday, October 1, 2008 online edition of the Hungry Horse News has a well-written article on the proposal for heli-skiing in the Coal Ridge and Stillwater State Forests . . .
Two local companies have brought proposals to the state for heli-skiing on state lands in the Whitefish Range.
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation sent out a scoping notice on Sept. 11 to property owners near the proposed areas of operation and to some government agencies. The deadline for comment has been extended to Oct. 10.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Wednesday, September 24, 2008 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is considering a proposal that could bring helicopter skiing to state lands in the Whitefish Mountain Range.
The agency is taking public comment on the proposal for commercially guided helicopter skiing on portions of the Stillwater and Coal Creek state forests. The proposal comes from Valhalla Adventures and Triple-X Helicopter Inc., a new company in the Flathead.
Read the entire article . . .