Tag Archives: Flathead National Forest

Section of Flathead Forest in the North Fork closed due to threat from Marston Fire

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

It’s official. The Forest Service is closing an area of the Flathead National Forest in the North Fork as a precautionary measure in case the Marston Blaze comes over the Whitefish Divide. This is not terribly likely, but the fire weather is a big concern over the next couple of days.

As near as I can tell from the map, only two roads are affected. Trail Creek Road is now closed just west of the Tuchuck Campground. Whale Creek Road is closed about four miles past the turnoff for the Hornet Lookout. At present, Red meadow Road is unaffected.

See the map below for details. For a bigger version, you can view/download the PDF (1.26 MB). You can also download the text of the official closure order.

Look for more information coming from the Northeast Kootenai Complex Fire information folks fairly soon.

Marston Fire - FNF Area Closure, Aug 28, 2015
Marston Fire – FNF Area Closure, Aug 28, 2015

Sheep Fire approaches Essex, many other blazes keep fire crews busy

Fire Information and Status, News, , , , , , ,
Sheep Fire
Sheep Fire

Here’s a good summary of the wildfire situation throughout this corner of Montana . . .

Authorities closed a section of U.S. Highway 2 near Essex on Thursday to provide safe access for firefighters battling the Sheep Fire, a 232-acre blaze that has grown to within 1 mile of the highway and river corridor near the southern boundary of Glacier National Park.

There are no evacuation orders, but Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry and his deputies notified 106 residents in and around Essex that they must prepare to leave and recommended they begin loading their cars immediately, Flathead County emergency information officer Jennifer Rankosky told the Associated Press. Forty-two people were home and notices were left at the rest of the homes.

Over 200 structures in the area are at risk, including homes, according to fire managers.

Fire and county officials were assessing how to best protect structures in the community. Red Cross officials were preparing a shelter in West Glacier 30 miles north on U.S. Highway 2, Rankosky said.

Read more . . .

Celebrating History of the North Fork at Big Creek, Aug 22

News, ,

Tyler McRae, Program Manager for the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, passed along this announcement for a big “Celebrating History of the North Fork at Big Creek” event this weekend. Check it out if you’re interested in coming down to Big Creek on the 22nd of this month for a good BBQ dinner, some exchange of stories about the old days of this place, and/or breakfast, lunch, and some trail projects. There’s also a breakfast event Sunday morning.

Big Creek Creek Ranger Station History Event

2500-acre Trail Creek Fire among 19 in Spotted Bear District

Fire Information and Status, News, , ,

The folks in the Spotted Bear District have their hands full this fire season . . .

The Spotted Bear Ranger District remains the hot spot for fires on the Flathead National Forest, with eight new fires started by Friday’s lightning storms.

Spotted Bear has 19 fires while the rest of Flathead National Forest has four…

The largest fire is the Trail Creek Fire. By Saturday, it had burned 2,500 acres north of the Spotted Bear River…

Read more . . .

55 wildfires now burning across Northwest Montana

Fire Information and Status, News, ,
Thompson Fire burning on west side of Continental Divide, Aug 12, 2015
Thompson Fire burning on west side of Continental Divide, Aug 12, 2015

Lightening triggered more fires throughout this corner of the state as yesterday’s storms swept through  . .

As thunderstorms swept through Northwest Montana on Friday, wind, lightning and parched conditions created dozens of new fires while fanning the flames of existing ones.

Five separate wildfires are now burning at more than 1,000 acres apiece throughout the region, including the new Trail Creek and Marston fires, burning at 1,300 and 1,200 acres, respectively.

On the Kootenai and Flathead national forests, there were 55 active fires burning Friday night.

Read more . . .

Proposed Flathead Forest plan receives 20,000+ comments

Environmental Issues, News,

The proposed Flathead National Forest Plan got lots of comments — better than 20,000. Here’s the official press release on the subject . . .

The Flathead National Forest received more than 20,000 comments on its proposal for revising its land and resource management plan (forest plan). Comments on the proposal to amend the Helena, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, and Lolo National Forest plans to integrate the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy were also sought during the 70 day comment period that ended May 15.

The Flathead National Forest is preparing a single environmental impact statement for both the revised forest plan and the grizzly bear amendments.

Forest Supervisor Chip Weber commented that, “The public response has been excellent; we received a lot of constructive comments that we are giving serious consideration to in order to improve our initial proposal as well as to develop some alternatives that will be able to display the range of issues expressed throughout the comment period.”

The majority of the comments received were form letters or petitions that were either identical in content or substantially similar. Approximately 370 unique comments came from individuals or commercial interests. Seven letters were from public agencies and approximately 30 letters came from non-profit organizations.

“The Flathead National Forest plan revision team has reviewed all the comments,” said Weber. “Four significant issues were identified and will be used to frame alternatives for the revised forest plan.” They are:

  1. Vegetation management, timber production, and fire;
  2. Habitat for wildlife and fish;
  3. Access and recreation; and
  4. Recommended wilderness

The planning team will be using these issues and public comments to refine the proposed action and build alternatives. Once the analysis is completed, a draft environmental impact statement will be issued. The Forest Service plans to have this document available by January 2016. Once the draft environmental impact statement is issued there will be a 90-day comment period.

The Flathead National Forest plan revision website provides additional information about the forest plan revision planning process, including links to the proposed action for the revised forest plan located at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/fpr. The amendment component of the proposed action can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/gbamend. Links to a reading room containing all comments, the 2012 planning rule and, the draft NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy can be found on these websites as well.

For further information about the project, contact Joe Krueger, Forest Planner, Flathead National Forest, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, Montana 59901, (406) 758-5243, or at flatheadplanrevision@fs.fed.us.

See also: “Forest Plan Comments Focus on Timber Production, Wildlife Habitat” (Flathead Beacon)

Flathead Forest to hold river recreation open house

News, ,

From the press release . . .

River recreationists are invited to an open house to learn more about the 3 Forks of the Flathead River, which include the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Forks. The open house is schedule June 8th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on June 8th, 2015 at the Flathead National Forest Supervisor’s Office at 650 Wolfpack Way in Kalispell, Montana.

During the open house, river managers will be available to visit and answer questions about river recreation activities, river use and management, and rules and regulations.

For additional information about this open house, contact the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District in Hungry Horse at 406-387-3800 and the Spotted Bear Ranger District at Spotted Bear at 406-758-5376.

Flathead Forest Forest Plan Revision receives more than 19,000 comments

Environmental Issues, News,

Joe Kreuger and his staff at the Flathead National Forest have got their work cut out for them. The proposed Forest Plan triggered a lot of feedback . . .

The Flathead National Forest received over 19,000 public comment submissions for its proposed revision of the forest plan, according to the agency.

Forest officials are still sorting through reams of emails and letters following the May 15 deadline for public comment.

Joe Krueger, project leader and forest planner for the Flathead National Forest, said his team continues to count the number of submissions that were filed and some that were postmarked by last Friday may still be arriving.

Read more . . .

Time is running out to submit comments on the Forest Plan!

Commentary, Environmental Issues,

A very timely reminder from Debo Powers, NFPA Vice-President . . .

Dear Friends of NFPA!

Many of you know that the comment period for the Flathead Forest Plan is fast approaching! May 15 is the deadline. Letters from people who love the North Fork would be very helpful. Please take the time to write your comments today and send them to flatheadplanrevision@fs.fed.us or snail mail your comments to:

Flathead National Forest Supervisor’s Office
Attention: Forest Plan Revision
650 Wolfpack Way
Kalispell, MT 59901

In your comments, please be sure to mention that Nasukoin Mountain should be included in the proposed wilderness for the northern Whitefish Range.

The Forest Plan should be praised for accepting the recommendations from the Whitefish Range Partnership (that several of us from NFPA served on) concerning recommended wilderness for 80,000 acres in the northern Whitefish Range including Tuchuck, Hefty, Thoma, and Thompson-Seton. However, when the lines were drawn, Nasukoin was not included. Hopefully, this was just a mistake which will be corrected, but it is important that they hear from us about the importance of this peak which is the highest in the Whitefish Range and definitely has wilderness characteristics.

In addition, let us join our voices with members of the Montana Wilderness Association and Headwaters Montana in calling for protection of the wild country in the Swan and Mission Mountains in the Flathead Forest Plan:

  • Extend the Bob Marshall Wilderness north to include Bunker and Sullivan Creek – critical areas for grizzlies, elk, mountain goats and other species.
  • Expand the Jewel Basin and protect the wild Swan Front. Bring the boundary down to the valley floor.
  • Widen the Mission Mountains Wilderness! Protect the wildlife corridor of Sunset Ridge, the critical bull trout spawning beds of Elk and Hemlock creeks, and the rugged species-rich lower slopes.

Another issue to consider commenting on is to ask that “non-conforming uses” (like snowmobiling and mountain biking) not be allowed in recommended wilderness. When these activities become established in proposed wilderness, it is often difficult to exclude them later.

Please send your comments today!

Thanks,

Debo Powers,
NFPA Vice President

Comment deadline for revised Flathead National Forest plan extended to May 15

Environmental Issues, News,

Well, now, you’ve got an extra 10 days to submit comments on the proposed Forest Plan Revision for the Flathead National Forest. Here’s the bulk of the official press release . . .

A 10-day extension to the public comment period, now concluding on May 15, 2015, has been authorized for the proposed action for the Flathead Forest Plan revision and the proposed forest plan amendments to incorporate relevant direction from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy. Comments are used to identify the range of issues to be addressed and the significant concerns related to the proposed action. This scoping process will assist the interdisciplinary team in developing a reasonable range of alternatives and in the analysis and documentation of the environmental and social effects of the proposed plan components and alternatives, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures. There will be additional opportunities for commenting, including a 90-day comment period, once the draft environmental impact statement is available, which is anticipated in January 2016.

In March, the Flathead National Forest released for public comment the proposed action for the revision of the land and resource management plan (forest plan) as directed by the National Forest Management Act. The proposed action for the revised forest plan includes management direction to support a variety of proposed and possible actions that may occur on the plan area over the next ~15 years, or life of the plan.

The Flathead National Forest plan revision website provides the full proposed action text for the revision, describing preliminary desired conditions, objectives, standards, guidelines, and other plan content; the 2014 Assessment; summaries of the public meetings and public meeting materials, and public comments. The revision component of the proposed action is located at
www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/fpr. The amendment component of the proposed action can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/gbamend. Links to the 2012 planning rule and the draft NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy can be found on these websites as well.

For further information about the project, contact Joe Krueger, Forest Planner, Flathead National Forest, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, Montana 59901, (406) 758-5243, or at flatheadplanrevision@fs.fed.us.