Tag Archives: Flathead National Forest

Second of four forest plan revision field trips coming soon

News, ,

In the midst of everything else they do, the Flathead National Forest has started the process of revising their Forest Plan. According to the Forest Plan Revision web page, “Forest Plans provide strategic direction to guide management of forest resources and provide a framework for decision making on site-specific projects and activities.”

The last Forest Plan was established in 1986. They hope to have the new one in the bag by 2016. This time around, they are required to have better transparency and consultation with the public.

As part of this effort, they are running a series of field trips this year, open to the general public. The second trip is on August 29. Here’s the press release . . .

The second of four field trips to kick off the collaborative effort for forest plan revision will be held August 29, 2013.  The trip will focus on recreation opportunities, access, existing wilderness and scenic character and will take people around the Hungry Horse Reservoir on the Hungry Horse and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts. The public field trips each focus on subject matter important to the forest plan. On these field trips we ask people to share their values and the benefits they derive from the Flathead National Forest as well as provide input to help us accurately assess the current conditions we have on the forest as they pertain to the topic of the field trip. The trips will also be an opportunity to experience the distinct geographical areas that make up our ranger districts.

The Flathead National Forest is embarking on a multi-year process to update its forest plan, the document that guides how we manage your public lands. The forest plan provides direction for managing resources and activities such as recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, historic and sacred sites, vegetation and timber production. . Forest plan revision is achieved in a three-phase process: assessment, revision, and monitoring. The 2012 National Forest System land management planning rule calls for an enhanced commitment to collaboration and public engagement across all three phases, including outreach to groups such as youth.

Due to the distance we will need to travel on the August 29th field trip we will start at 7:45 AM at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, with second a pick-up at the Hungry Horse Ranger District at 8:30 AM. We plan to return people to Hungry Horse by 5:15 PM and the fairgrounds by 6:00 PM. The last two trips are planned to run from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Those trips will begin and end at the Flathead County Fairgrounds with transportation provided for all the field trips.

  • August 29 – Recreation settings, opportunities and access, existing wilderness and scenic character (Hungry Horse/Spotted Bear Ranger Districts)
  • September 12 – Terrestrial and aquatic habitats, threatened and endangered species, species of conservation concern, and invasive species (Swan Lake Ranger District)
  • September 26 – Inventoried roadless areas, recommended wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers (Glacier View Ranger District)

* Social science, economics, and the role and contributions of the Flathead National Forest will be a component of each of the field trips.

The information shared and the feedback received will be used to develop and finalize the assessment, determine needs for change, and to draft a proposed plan. There will be additional opportunities to engage in the collaborative process as the plan is developed over the next few years.

Please RSVP to Wade Muehlhof (ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or 406-758-5252) at least one week before the field trip(s) you plan to attend. Please let us know if you have any special accommodation needs. For additional details please visit the Flathead National Forest Plan Revision page on our website.

Wildfire season comes to the Flathead National Forest

Fire Information and Status, News, , , ,

The Forest Service is dealing with two lightning-triggered fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Here’s the official press release . . .

Fire managers on the Flathead National Forest are managing two fires on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. Both are believed to have been started by lightning strikes from the storm that passed through the area on August 11, 2013. Both are in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area and will be managed so they can play their natural role in the wilderness while providing for public and firefighter safety and protecting values at risk.

The Snow Creek fire is burning about 20 acres and is located up the Snow Creek Drainage. The fire is close enough to Black Bear Cabin that fire fighters are starting to implement structure protection, but there is no immediate threat. There may be some future impacts to the trails in the area depending on where the fire grows.

The Damnation fire is covering more than 150 acres and is growing to the east and north-east. This fire could impact trail access as well. Managers are working to keep area trails open with crews on the ground to observe fire location and behavior; however trail closures to ensure public safety may occur as fire conditions dictate.

Growth is expected today, August 16, 2013, as the weather forecast calls for high temperatures, low relative humidity and wind. Please contact the Spotted Bear Ranger District before heading into these areas to ensure you have the latest information on conditions: 406-758-5376.

As firefighting resources are needed to respond to natural wildfires it becomes even more important for everyone to thoughtful and careful in their use of fire in the forest. The forest is not currently in fire restricts, but the fire danger is high in the Flathead Valley, meaning a small spark or an unattended fire of any kind can start a wildfire and it could quickly spread.

The Robert Fire ten years later

Fire Information and Status, History, , ,

The Flathead Beacon has a nice retrospective on the 2003 fire season, the Robert Fire in particular . . .

The rolled-up maps in Dennis Divoky’s office show the enormity of the 2003 fires in Glacier National Park. Huge swaths of land are colored in red and orange, depicting in print the 136,000 acres of land burned that summer. It was the biggest fire season in the park’s history – even larger than 1910’s “Big Burn.”

“The 2003 season is the pinnacle,” said Divoky, fire ecologist for the park.

That summer, the National Park Service responded to 26 wildfires that scorched roughly 13 percent of the park’s land. Of those, six blazes were larger than 10,000 acres. The Robert Fire alone burned 57,570 acres of land in the park and Flathead National Forest and forced multiple evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley and West Glacier. By September, the fires had cost the Park Service more than $68 million.

Continue reading . . .

Building a new management plan for the Flathead River Corridor

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The Flathead Beacon just posted another of their “Focusing on…” articles, this time discussing the challenges to the Flathead River Corridor from increasing recreational pressure, which is forcing consideration of a new river corridor plan. Recommended reading . . .

The rhythm of the North Fork flows to a mellow tempo, even as the steady thrum of traffic and the ever-present flotilla of rafts and kayaks sketch a clear portrait of the wild and scenic river corridor’s growth and popularity.

Dust clouds roll off this unpaved portion of Highway 486, also known as the North Fork Flathead Road, and the meter of traffic ticking along the western border of Glacier National Park has given rise to the need for a new river management plan.

Designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1976, the three forks of the Flathead River amount to 219 miles of what everyone agrees is “a very special place,” says Rob Davies, the Flathead National Forest’s district ranger for the Hungry Horse/Glacier View district. The North Fork Flathead River is protected by that designation, while its eastern tributaries and uplands are tucked away in Glacier Park. Its Canadian headwaters are protected by a provincial ban on mining and drilling, and U.S. Sen. Max Baucus has introduced legislation that would prohibit new energy and mineral development on the nearly 400,000 acres of the North Fork watershed within the Flathead National Forest.

Still, public land managers say the river corridor is being impacted by increased use, and have been collecting data to inform the future of the river corridor, while calling on the public to help adopt a new management strategy for recreational use.

Continue reading . . .

Flathead Forest taking a look at their road system

News,

The Flathead National Forest is performing a “traffic analysis” of their road system. Supposedly, this is just a data gathering exercise.

Here is the story . . .

The U.S. Forest Service is conducting an analysis of the road system on three of the ranger districts in the Flathead National Forest.

Every national forest will complete a travel analysis report by 2015. The Hungry Horse, Glacier View and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts are scheduled to complete their analysis this year.

The travel analysis will include the identification of risks and benefits on National Forest System Roads (NFSR) roads as they pertain to safe and efficient travel and the protection, management, and use of the national forest.

“The travel analysis is not a proposal or decision, but is intended to help inform possible future road management planning,” Flathead National Forest Supervisor Chip Weber said in a statement.

Continue reading . . .

Forest Plan revision field trips announced

News, ,

In the midst of everything else they do, the Flathead National Forest has started the process of revising their Forest Plan. According to the Forest Plan Revision web page, “Forest Plans provide strategic direction to guide management of forest resources and provide a framework for decision making on site-specific projects and activities.”

The last Forest Plan was established in 1986. They hope to have the new one in the bag by 2016. This time around, they are required to have better transparency and consultation with the public.

Anyway, as part of this effort, they are running four field trips this year, open to the general public. Here’s the meat of the press release . . .

. . . To start the collaborative process we are holding four public field trips which will each focus on subject matter important to the forest plan. On these field trips we need people to share their values and the benefits they derive from the Flathead National Forest as well as provide input to help us accurately capture the current conditions we have on the forest as they pertain to the topic of the field trip. The trips will also be an opportunity to experience the distinct geographical areas that make up our ranger districts.

We anticipate the trips to run from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM (except for August 29 which includes a stop at the Spotted Bear Ranger District with a 5:00 PM return). The trips will begin and end at the Flathead County Fairgrounds with transportation provided.

  1. August 8 – Forest vegetation and disturbances including fire, timber harvest, and forest products (Tally Lake Ranger District)
  2. August 29 – Recreation settings, opportunities and access, native knowledge, existing wilderness and scenic character (Hungry Horse/Spotted Bear Ranger Districts)
  3. September 12 – Terrestrial and aquatic habitats, threatened and endangered species, species of conservation concern, and invasive species (Swan Lake Ranger District)
  4. September 26 – Inventoried roadless areas, recommended wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers (Glacier View Ranger District)

* Social science, economics, and the role and contributions of the Flathead National Forest will be a component of each of the field trips.

The information shared and the feedback received will be used to develop and finalize the assessment, determine needs for change, and to draft a proposed plan. There will be additional opportunities to engage in the collaborative process as the plan is developed over the next few years.

Please RSVP to Wade Muehlhof (ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or 406-758-5252) at least one week before the field trip(s) you plan to attend. Please let us know if you have any special accommodation needs. For additional details please visit the Flathead National Forest Plan Revision page on our website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5422786&width=full.

Flathead National Forest brings new avalanche site online

News, ,

This should prove useful. The Flathead National Forest just put up a new “Flathead Avalanche Center” website . . .

Hoping to increase awareness in the winter backcountry, the Flathead National Forest has reorganized its avalanche program with the launch of a new website.

The Flathead Avalanche Center (FAC) launched its site last week, www.flatheadavalanche.org. The site will provide up-to-date information about local avalanche conditions, snow pack, mountain weather and upcoming education classes and events for all types of recreationists. The center’s coverage area will include the Cabinet, Flathead, Mission, Purcell, Swan and Whitefish ranges in the Flathead and Kootenai national forests as well as sections of Glacier National Park.

The FAC is also increasing the number of weekly winter advisories from two to three. Beginning in December, advisories will be released on Saturdays as well as Tuesdays and Fridays. The advisories will include current danger levels for avalanche conditions and expected weather.

Continue reading . . .

Flathead Forest Friday breakfast at the Nite Owl, Friday, Nov 16

News, ,

We got a  note today from Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer for the Flathead National Forest, announcing a “Flathead Forest Friday” breakfast at the Nite Owl in Columbia Falls on Friday, November 16. The idea is to let folks know what is going on in the district and to respond to questions and comments. It sounds like they are planning to make this a regular, every two months event. Here’s the official notice  . . .

Please help spread the word in the North Fork!

Come meet and greet the new Hungry Horse/Glacier View District Ranger Rob Davies at the November Flathead Forest Friday breakfast on Friday, November 16, 2012 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Nite Owl on Highway 2 in Columbia Falls.

In addition to Ranger Davies, Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow will be available for information and questions.  Deb will provide an overview of this summer’s work on the Spotted Bear district and the fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, but mostly we want to hear your questions and find out what is on your mind.

The Flathead National Forest will coordinate a no-host breakfast meeting every-other month with the goal of sharing good food, great company, and a little information about what’s happening on our National Forest.

I hope you will join Rangers Davies and Mucklow for our November Flathead Forest Friday breakfast at the Nite Owl.  If you plan to attend or have any questions, please notify Public Affairs Officer Wade Muehlhof at ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or (406) 758-5252 by November 14.

(By the way, I’m pretty sure “no-host breakfast” means everyone pays for their own meal.)

Two new fires in Flathead Forest Monday

Fire Information and Status, News, , , , ,

What appear to be a couple of relatively minor wildfires were detected in Flathead National Forest on Monday . . .

Two new fires were detected on the Flathead National Forest Monday, and both are being suppressed.

The Gorge Fire was less than an acre, burning about 10 miles northeast of Condon in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Another fire, located near Dry Lake on the Swan Lake Ranger District, hadn’t been named or sized up as of Monday afternoon.

Continue reading . . .