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).
All posts by nfpa
Comments regarding heli-skiing proposal
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.
Companies seek permit for heli-skiing in North Fork
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 . . .
Firms seek OK to offer helicopter ski services
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 . . .
DNA study doubles bear census
Here’s a better article on the recently completed grizzly bear DNA study. Yesterday’s AP write-up was a little thin.
From the Wednesday, September 17, 2008 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The estimate is in: There were 765 grizzly bears roaming the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem during the summer of 2004.
That’s the official result of an ambitious and unprecedented genetic study of the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states. The study will be published in the January edition of the Journal of Wildlife Management.
Read the entire article . . .
Federal Study Says Grizzlies Thriving in Montana
From the Tuesday, September 16, 2008 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
The majestic grizzly bear, once king of the Western wilderness but threatened with extinction for a third of a century, has roared back in Montana…
Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey announced Tuesday that there are approximately 765 bears in northwestern Montana. That’s the largest population of grizzly bears documented there in more than 30 years, and a sign that the species could be at long last rebounding.
Read the entire article . . .
A Piece of Polebridge in Downtown Kalispell
From the Thursday, September 11, 2008 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
Downtown Kalispell has a lot of things Polebridge doesn’t. If you’re the type of person who goes for such amenities, Kalispell offers paved roads, shopping, restaurants, schools and other trappings of modern life. But for a long time, Polebridge had one big advantage: the legendary baked goods at the Polebridge Mercantile. Now, with Ben Kaufman, the son of the baker at the Polebridge Mercantile, about to open his own place on First Avenue East, Kalispell may be evening the score on the bakery front as well.
Read the entire article . . .
Road dust litigation ill-advised
The following editorial commentary by Pat Cole of the North Fork Landowners’ Association appeared in this week’s Hungry Horse News . . .
In an Aug. 28 letter to the editor, Mr. Dennis Groebe stated, “at the last meeting of the North Fork Landowners’ Association, it became very clear that a ‘small vocal minority’ has decided to portray the position that the North Fork property owners do not want any steps taken to control the road dust, while the NFLA Board acknowledged that in their own recent poll, 77 percent of the respondents stated that they desired the road to be maintained and some form of ‘dust control measures’ to be implemented.”
As a full-time resident in the North Fork and secretary/treasurer of the NFLA for the past eight years, I have maintained all the minutes of the Association’s business meetings. At no time during the Aug. 2 meeting of the NFLA, nor any of the other meetings that I attended, have I heard the position put forth either by the NFLA board members or association members that North Fork property owners do not want any steps taken to control the road dust. To state that this position has been portrayed is simply not factual.
Flathead Basin Commission hears of new coal mine
From the Friday, August 29, 2008 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
Potential mining projects in the Canadian Flathead seem slowed for now, but a new project just outside the Flathead is in its early stages.
A British Columbia representative last week told the Flathead Basin Commission that little has developed with proposed mining projects. At the same meeting in West Glacier, representatives from a third company explained plans for a mine near the Canadian Flathead.
Read the entire article . . .
Suspect arrested in Moose City break-ins
From the Tuesday, August 25, 2008 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
A man wanted in connection to a string of burglaries to cabins in Moose City was arrested Friday after apparently spending almost a week in the wilderness along the U.S.-Canadian border.
John Paul Lynn, 44, is accused of breaking into several cabins and shooting at the long-closed Trail Creek border station, north of Polebridge.
Read the entire article . . .