North Fork Landowners’ Association
|
|
The NFLA Spring newsletter has arrived, a sure sign, along with the rain, mud and murky water, that spring itself has finally arrived. This year, our spring newsletter will be the only one we publish. The membership voted last October to do away with the autumn newsletter since we have meetings through October and attending meetings is the best way to keep up with what's going on. Plus, it costs a whole lot of money. On the other hand, come spring, several months have slipped by with no NFLA meetings and there's a lot to tell you about! First and foremost, our social committee did a fantastic job and our calendar for 2011 is packed with fun-filled and informative events. There are hikes, bird walks, bike rides and river floats; there's kayaking, book clubs, game nights, dances, dance classes, and a gardening workshop. Something for everyone. And, back by popular demand are dances with live bands. A Weed wranglin' and river runnin' Combine a float with a weed roundup along the river corridor on July 26 and August 19 to wrangle weeds all the way from the border to Polebridge. Also make sure to attend the Second Annual Robin Cox Weed Roundup. That's on July 15 at Sanderson Hall starting at 10 a.m. North Fork History Project Gears Up For Summer! The North Fork has a long and rich history of settlers. The first priority of the North Fork History Project is to record the oral histories of our oldest living residents, past and present, to preserve their memories for future generations. Let Debo Powers know if you have any suggestions for interviews: powersd@leonschools.net We plan to get started this summer. Also, remember that the North Fork History Project will hold an auction on July 23rd to raise money for the project. If you have items to donate, contact Morgan Hart dmhart@cyberneutics.net. Hall cleanup is May 21 Margaret Heaphy and Lee Secrest are co-hosting this year's hall cleanup. Pitch in for as long as you can, starting at 10:00. Bring a sack lunch and cleaning supplies. Plus, Lee will be kicking off our new hall maintenance program so check with him when you get there for assignments. Help for landowners! The Natural Resources and Conservation Service has a cost-sharing program called the Environmental Quality Incentive Program to help landowners with certain forest management practices such as pre-commercial thinning, slash treatment, tree planting, and noxious weed control. For more information, contact Angel Rosario: 133 Interstate Lane, Kalispell, 59901; 406-752-4242 Ext 104; angel.rosario@mt.usda.gov Deadline for applying is June 1 each year! Fire Mitigation Committee The Committee met in early April to plan activities for the 2011 fire season. It expects to sponsor a field trip and workshop on forest insects and disease in late June. This would serve as the North Fork annual Firewise Day and also would consider the relationship between wildfire susceptibility and dead and dying trees. The committee hopes to offer practical training and assessment for landowners to address wildfire risks around their homes. If the opportunity arises, the Committee will apply for another cost-share grant to assist land owners with fuels reduction on their properties. The Road The big news is that the county received 3 RAC grants for North Fork Road projects. One pays to have the county apply magnesium chloride to previously untreated areas from Camas to Lee Downes' place. Another allows the county to extract more gravel from Demers pit, add bentonite, and lay it down from Polebridge to a point 8 miles north of Polebridge. Magnesium chloride would also be applied on this stretch. The third project involves putting magnesium chloride on Blankenship Road. The Backwoods Book/overs Book Club ... returns this year with 4 more books:
All meetings are at Sondreson Hall at 7:30 and are open to the community. Bring a snack to share. Bear Alert Bears are emerging from their dens, and they're hungry. That means Patti Bear, a young female grizzly that Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (MFWP) Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley has been monitoring for the last two and half years, will be out looking for food. At the winter Interloeal meeting, Manley said that if Patti continues to come too close to cabins, he may have to remove her, meaning she would be sent to a zoo or euthanized. If she breaks into a building or harms someone, her removal is certain. last summer, Patti frequented residences where food attractants such as chickens, bird seed, dead squirrels, hummingbird feeders, horse grain and dog food were not secured and she was showing a high level of tolerance for people. However, since Manley captured her last fall at a private residence and released her onsite with rubber bullets and Karelian Bear Dogs, she has not returned and has been more wary. Manley says Patti can still learn to stay out of trouble, but only if she does not get the food rewards that some folks leave unsecured on their property. Hazing Patti out of your yard by yelling or banging pots and pans can also help teach her to stay out of trouble. To report Patti or any other grizzly that is frequenting the area around your home, please call Manley at 250-1265 or 892-0802. North Fork Land Use Advistory Committee (NFLUAC) Over the winter, the Flathead County Commissioners turned down two text amendments to the North Fork Zoning Regulations that had been proposed by the NFlUAC One would have limited extractive industries on the North Fork The other would have made temporary structures subject to current set back requirements of 150' from the North Fork Road and bodies of water and 100' from other public roads. On the other hand, a full liquor license for the Northern Lights Saloon which had been recommended by the NFLUAC was approved by the state and county. Are you wired?? More and more people up here on the remote North Fork are finding that the internet is a great way to keep an eye on what 's going on in the rest of the world and even in our own neighborhood. If you're wired and prefer to receive your NFLA newsletter and calendar on-line, either through email or downloaded from our NFLA webpage, please make sure you tell us! We have a box for you to check on your NFLA sign-up/renewal form. The fewer hardcopies we need to mail, the better it is for our pocketbook and the environment. And from our Fire Chief It's time to talk about the 2011 fire season, We don't have a full time fire department up here on the North Fork of the Flathead and we have only small pieces of fire equipment; but we can respond if notified. Your responsibility is to know what equipment is closest to your place. You have to be able to help us if you have a fire. You MUST know where your closest water supply is and how to get to it. We will be glad to come and help and will do what we can if lives are in danger, but you ha ve to remember that we are volunteers and not trained to do entry into homes or buildings, DON'T START A FIRE TO BURN YOUR DEBRIS PILE if you don't have what you need to keep it under control. If you start a fire however big or small and leave it unattended you can be charged with a criminal act. You MUST put out any fire before you abandon the site! The first line of defense is you! Alert Landing Sites Download a printable version of the alert landing sites from here and information about emergency services from here. Download the Membership Sign Up Form from here. We have a new newsletter editor for the Spring 2011 edition. Jon Elliot asked to be relieved and Betsy Holycross stepped in as temporary editor. Our thanks to Jon for his efforts in the past and again our thanks to Betsy for taking it on this spring with the generous help of all the contributors. We are looking for a new permanent editor. If you're interested, please let us know by sending email to Contact@nflandowners.org or talking with one of the members of the Board of Directors after a meeting this summer. NFLA Newsletters Archive |
