Tag Archives: Flathead National Forest

“Red Flag” warning up for Lolo, Flathead, Kootenai forests & Glacier Park

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

A “Red Flag” fire weather warning has been posted for the Flathead/Glacier area as well as the general region. Basically, the weather service is calling for hot, dry conditions with a chance of dry lightening from thunderstorms passing through the area. Here’s the text:

KOOTENAI-FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-WEST LOLO-
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
425 AM MDT MON AUG 6 2012

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT
TONIGHT FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE KOOTENAI…FLATHEAD/GLACIER
PARK…WEST LOLO…SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR THUNDERSTORMS…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO
MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

* WINDS: OUTFLOW WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH FROM NEARBY STORMS.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 18-28 PERCENT

* THUNDERSTORMS: HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY
OF BENEFICIAL RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A RED FLAG WARNING IS INTENDED TO ALERT LAND MANAGERS TO EXPECTED
WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT ALONG WITH SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS…WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER.

Fires in the Bob Marshall get bigger; fire danger now high in Flathead Forest

Fire Information and Status, News, , , , ,

The U.S. Forest Service is starting to get busy. They’ve now got a 3,000 acre blaze in the Bob, after a couple of fires merged, as well as several smaller actions elsewhere. According to the following article from the Daily Inter Lake, they did manage to suppress a small wildfire in the North Fork’s Coal Creek drainage yesterday. . .

A fire that rapidly expanded in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex has merged with another fire to the east to cover a total of 3,000 acres by Monday afternoon.

The Rapid Creek Fire first was sized up at less than acre at midday Sunday, but by the afternoon it had grown to 500 acres and by Monday morning it was estimated at 1,000 acres.

The fire is located on the east side of the wilderness about 27 miles west of Augusta. The fire has been churning through heavy, beetle-killed timber across the Flathead Forest’s boundary with the Lewis and Clark National Forest, where It burned into the 700-acre Elbow Pass Fire by Monday afternoon.

Continue reading . . .

Lightning sparks wildfires in Flathead National Forest

News,

This explains the increased low-flying air traffic yesterday . . .

A late-night storm on Sunday generated more than 100 lightning strikes in the Flathead National Forest and sparked seven small fires. On Monday, crews were working to suppress the fires and flying over the Spotted Bear Ranger District to get a better idea of what was burning.

According to the forest’s public affairs specialist, Wade Muehlhof, five of the fires are located within the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Snow Peak Fire is the largest and had burned 8 acres of land as of Monday afternoon.

Continue reading . . .

Groups sue to stop Flathead National Forest thinning project

Environmental Issues, News,

Some organizations are suing to prevent a forest thinning project . . .

Environmental groups have sued to stop pre-commercial thinning work on the Flathead National Forest, raising arguments that are similar to those applied in two previous lawsuits targeting timber sales.

The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Wild Swan and the Native Ecosystems Council filed the lawsuit May 29 in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

It challenges a recently approved project that involves pre-commercial thinning on 3,650 acres spread across the Flathead Forest.

Continue reading . . .

Annual Frog Day approaches

News, ,

Here’s an interesting volunteer opportunity. Word is, it fills up rapidly, so interested  folks should sign up right away. From the Flathead National Forest Learning Center announcement . . .

Join us for the annual Frog Day. Help find and count amphibians and reptiles in area wetlands.  It is fun and the Forest Service gains valuable data.

The day starts with a 1-1/2 hour training session on how to identify local amphibians and reptiles and how to do the surveys. Participants work in teams of 2-5 people with a forest biologist or technician leading the group. Anyone 7 years and up is welcome to attend. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

In 2012 the event takes place June 28 on the Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District.  For more information or to sign up to participate, contact Teresa Wenum, 406/758-5218 or twenum@fs.fed.us.

District Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera retiring June 1

News,

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Jimmy DeHerrera, the District Ranger for the Hungry Horse-Glacier View District of the Flathead National Forest is taking a well-deserved retirement June 1. The Hungry Horse News has a nice write-up on Jimmy’s career and future plans . . .

Even if you didn’t see eye-to-eye with Jimmy DeHerrera, he was always willing to listen to concerns about issues on the Flathead National Forest.

On June 1, DeHerrera will retire as the Glacier View/Hungry Horse District Ranger, a post he’s held since July 1998.

Continue reading . . .

Big Creek water quality restoration complete

Environmental Issues, News, , , , ,

Here’s the Missoulian’s report on the Big Creek water quality restoration project . . .

A major tributary to the North Fork of the Flathead River was removed from a list of impaired Montana water bodies Friday, becoming the first state stream to meet the standards for delisting. Officials with the Hungry Horse Ranger District and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality announced that Big Creek is the first water body to complete a full water quality restoration process after it was added to a list of sediment-impaired waters in 1996.

Hungry Horse District Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera said the delisting is a major accomplishment, and the result of a watershed restoration plan that began nine years ago. The plan involved decommissioning some 60 miles of forest logging roads, removing 47 culverts and replacing an additional 19, improving 89 miles of roads to decrease storm water runoff, and replanting 25 acres of eroding uplands.

Continue reading . . .

Big Creek officially completes water quality restoration

Environmental Issues, News, , , , ,

Big Creek, a major tributary of the North Fork, has now officially completed a restoration process aimed at reducing sediment contamination. . . .

Big Creek is the first stream in the state to have completed a water quality restoration process aimed at reducing sediments.

the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Flathead National Forest announced the news Thursday that Big Creek had been removed from the state’s list of impaired waters.

Recent monitoring data has shown that sediment and stream conditions in Big Creek, a major tributary to the North Fork of the Flathead River, now are similar to conditions in streams with minimal human impacts.

That wasn’t the case in 1996, when Big Creek was added to a list of Montana waters with impaired water quality.

Continue reading . . .

Lake Mountain trail offers good wildflower viewing later this year

News, , ,

An earlier post included a link to the Forest Service’s “Celebrating Wildflowers” website. Rachel Potter points out that the site’s “Northern Region Viewing Area” page includes a nice description of wildflowers on the Lake Mountain trail in the Flathead National Forest.  She goes on to mention that the route to Lake Mountain can also be accessed from Red Meadow — the same trailhead as Link Lake.