NFLA – Page 2

Attic clean-out silent auction this Sunday

Sondreson Hall by Gerry Stearns During this Sunday’s NFLA membership meeting, there will be a silent auction of items discovered during last month’s Sondreson Hall attic clean-out. Proceeds will go toward replacing our antique digital projector, which doesn’t work with any computer built within the last decade.

Here’s the list of items, as well as photos of most. (Note: This auction is only for stuff found in the attic; we’re not accepting any additional items.) . . . Continue reading Attic clean-out silent auction this Sunday

Reminder: Walter Roberts remembrance activities scheduled for May 15

Walter M. Roberts at Botanical Gardens, Jan 2015 — Walter Roberts at Botanical Gardens, Jan 2015

Dr. Walter Melvin Roberts III, a classics scholar and all-around good guy, died on August 29, 2021. Walter is survived by his brother Anthony, extended family, and many close friends who were like family. Aged 62, Walter passed from heart failure suddenly in his home in Detroit, Michigan, where he was born and raised. He was also a regular in Polebridge, Montana. A professor of Greek and Latin, Walter discovered Polebridge around 1985 as a place of solitude, study, teaching, and community. He loved jumping in the North Fork, exploring the environs, and cycling to Bowman and Kintla. Several times, he MC’ed Polebridge’s famous 4th-of-July parade. North Forkers read and discussed the classics with Walter, whose laugh and smile were welcoming and infectious.

A celebration of Walter’s life is planned for Sunday, May 15, 2022 . . .

There will be a reading of Plato’s Symposium at 9:30am at the North Fork Hostel. Please RSVP to Randi Rognlie (rjrognlie@gmail.com) if you plan to attend this event.

A Walter Roberts Memorial is scheduled for 1:00pm at Sondreson Hall. Share stories, pictures, & memories of our friend & scholar. A main dish will be provided. Bring a side or dessert to share. Contact Randi Rognlie (rjrognlie@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

Time to start thinking about bear conflicts

Justine Valieres, Wildlife Conflict Specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 1)

A note posted to Facebook this morning from our new Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Conflict Management Specialist, Justine Vallieres . . .

Hey North Forkers! I just wanted to pop in and do a quick introduction of myself. As most of you know, Tim Manley retired from FWP after 37 years of grizzly bear management. I was lucky enough to be his technician these last 4 years so I learned from the best! I applied this winter for the Wildlife Conflict Management Specialist position and was offered the position and started in March. So I will now be covering the North Fork. So if you have any mountain lion, black bear or grizzly bear conflicts please give me a call. My number is Tim’s old work cell which is 406-250-1265.

On another note, there have been a handful of reports from the North Fork area recently of grizzly sightings, some in yards. Please remember that if you do have a bear in your yard (black or grizz), please make them leave. This is so crucial that they learn that being around people and homes is not OK or safe. I know we all enjoy viewing wildlife, but it’s really important to remember that the more they hang around homes, the more comfortable they get, which can lead to habituation. We don’t want to give them the opportunity to snoop around and get into stuff, but we also do not want to create habituated bears where they are no longer wary of people. You personally may be tolerant of a bear in your yard, but other people may not be so tolerant, which could ultimately end up in the bear being hurt or killed.

So if you have bears in your yard, from a safe place, yell at them in a deep tone and tell them to move along. The human voice is the best deterrent, as we are “danger” to them. Bang pots and pans, set off car alarms, use air horns etc. Please refrain from shooting as we want to avoid any potential accidents and bears get used to hearing gunshots. If you have continuously tried to make a bear leave and it shows no interest in doing so please give me a call.

Thank you for helping keep the North Fork and its wildlife wild! I look forward to meeting many of you and seeing some familiar faces this season!

North Fork presentation on Glacier Park’s 2022 ticketed entry plans, Dec 13, 10am

As many of you have already heard, Glacier National Park is extending their ticketed entry system to cover the North Fork Entrance for the 2022 tourist season. Representatives will present information on the park’s traffic management plans, including North Fork-specific details, at 10:00am on Monday, December 13 at Home Ranch Bottoms (HRB).

There’s not much room at HRB and COVID is still an issue, so this will be a “hybrid” meeting, mostly handled online via Zoom, with a small number of presenters and representatives physically present. Here’s the Zoom meeting information:

Topic: GNP Update Meeting

Time: Dec 13, 2021 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 823 6703 5408
Passcode: 822241

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Meeting ID: 823 6703 5408
Passcode: 822241
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kkHTf0hLD

Hay Creek Road reopens

Hay Creek Drainage, June 5, 2020 - W K Walker — Hay Creek Drainage, June 5, 2020 – W K Walker

From an email received this morning from District Ranger Rob Davies . . .

We just lifted the closure order for Hay Creek Fire.

The Hay Cr road and the area is all open as of today.

We will have warning signs and people need to be careful of snags within the fire area…

But the entire road is open and safe . Please spread the word.

Time to get your firewood permits!

NFLA President’s remarks at Lower North Fork Road Roundtable, Flathead Co. Fairgrounds, Oct 6, 2021

North Fork Road in Fall - USFS — North Fork Road in Fall – USFS

Commissioner Abell and Others:

For the record: Richard Hildner, President, North Fork Landowners Association, 350 Moose Creek Road, Polebridge, MT 59928.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak this afternoon. We applaud your effort to facilitate a multi-agency discussion on the North Fork Road and appreciate the opportunity to participate. The North Fork Community is no stranger to controversy when it comes to the North Fork Road. It was one of the topics at the inaugural meeting of the organization, June 2, 1947.

Because the subject is so divisive, the NFLA has refrained from taking a position on paving. We do, however, submit that regular maintenance and dust abatement are worthy of your attention. As an organization we are anxious to comment upon any alternatives you may develop.

It is clear from the record that any action beyond the status quo – i.e., grading and magnesium chloride – would necessitate multi-agency input, road design and costs, as well as environmental, social, and cultural considerations. This is consistent with the findings of the 2010 MDOT Corridor Study. Any consideration beyond the status quo, including the use of millings, must include cumulative and indirect impacts.

Speaking for the NFLA, we are in agreement that the North Fork Valley is a special place, valued for its remote nature, unique relationship with the local flora and fauna, and preservation of these characteristics is of the utmost importance.

Thank you for your time.

Richard Hildner
North Fork Landowners Association
PO Box 1603
Columbia Falls, MT 59912

Remarks in PDF format . . .

Last NFLA membership meeting of 2021, Oct 10, 6pm

The North Fork Landowners Association hosts its last membership meeting of the year on Sunday, October 10, 2021. We begin with a presentation by Mark Heaphy at 6pm followed by the general membership meeting at 7pm. Note that October’s meeting starts an hour earlier than our summer schedule (6pm vs. 7pm).

Bring a snack to share & items for the food pantry.

Mark’s presentation will cover search and rescue issues. He will also discuss solar power.

Please note that COVID-19 precautions at Sondreson Hall are governed by the current CDC recommendations for meetings in public venues in areas of the country of “substantial or high transmission” for the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. Seating will be socially distanced (six feet spacing), although family members may wish to sit closer together. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available to those who need them.

View current meeting agenda.

Prescribed fire work in the North Fork

Flathead National Forest just put out a press release listing the prescribed burns planned for this fall. The only entry concerning the North Fork is…

Red Whale Fuels Reduction – Approximately 750 acres will be targeted for prescribed burning this fall in Moose creek and Moran creek. This project location is in the North Fork of the Flathead about four miles northwest of Polebridge. Depending on weather this burn is planned for mid to late September to early October. The purpose of this project is to help restore a more historical fire regime to the ecosystem, improve wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels to reduce wildfire risk and aid in potential future fire suppression efforts, and improve wildlife habitat.

According to Andy Huntsberger, our District Fire Management Officer, “…it is very unlikely that we will be doing any burning besides piles on Glacier View District this fall. The window for activity fuels and ecosystem burning will probably close after next week and our priorities will be in the Southfork. I’m not saying it won’t happen but I am saying it is very unlikely. “

Hosting Thanksgiving at Sondreson Hall

Sondreson Hall by Gerry Stearns Dear North Forkers:

Thanksgiving dinner hosts, Janet and Dick Leigh, are unable to host this year’s celebration. While this is not an NFLA sponsored event, any NFLA member can volunteer to be the host. Hosts are responsible for organizing, conducting, and cleaning up afterwards.

If any NFLA member would like to host Thanksgiving dinner at Sondreson Hall they should submit a rental application to the NFLA Secretary, Karina Pettey (karina@petteyfamily.org). Janet Leigh has volunteered to share information about hosting responsibilities and details with anyone interested in being this year’s Thanksgiving dinner host. Janet’s email address is janet.l.leigh@gmail.com.

Again, please let the NFLA Secretary know if you are interested. Thank you for your long-time interest and support.

Wishing you all the best,

Richard Hildner, President
North Fork Landowners Association

Fed bears; dead bears

Monica, June 8, 2020 - W. K. Walker — Monica, June 8, 2020 – W. K. Walker

The Flathead Beacon has a good article by Tristan Scott discussing the loss of Monica and her three cubs, as well as the general North Fork community issues surrounding living with wildlife. Both the NFLA and the NFPA get a mention . . .

Twenty years ago, new arrivals to the remote North Fork Flathead River community of Polebridge were likely to hear some version of the following when asking for directions — just head north and hang a right at the pile of bear scat.

Situated on the doorstep of Glacier National Park, which merges with the Bob Marshall Wilderness to create the largest intact natural ecosystem in the Northern Rockies, the North Fork’s resident grizzly bear population has historically outnumbered its year-round residents, as evidenced by the prominent distribution of scatological droppings along the area’s trails and roadways. Still, the human interlopers who do call this wild chunk of country home have, more or less, learned how to coexist with their mammalian neighbors, reaching an accord that just comes with the territory in bear country.

And yet in recent years, due in part to the increased visitation at Glacier National Park, whose western boundary is defined by the North Fork Flathead River, as well as the expansion of commercial services in and around the community of Polebridge — leading to the development of “work camps” to house a growing number of seasonal workers — human-wildlife conflicts have been on the rise.