A tragedy on the river yesterday, a couple miles south of Polebridge. The Daily Inter Lake has the story . . .
An Idaho woman drowned in the North Fork Flathead River on Wednesday afternoon after her inflatable kayak got tangled in tree roots.
Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said the woman and her husband were floating in a double-seated inflatable kayak about two miles south of Polebridge in the Home Ranch Bottoms area when the accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m.
Larry Wilson covers two big events of the past week: The annual Polebridge Fourth of July Parade and the Bear Fair, both of which were rousing successes . . .
What a great week on the North Fork. The Fourth of July parade was a big success, with some resident-created floats, lots of American flags and handsome kids on unicycles leading the whole thing…
Also this week was the Bear Fair in beautiful downtown Polebridge, which was funded in part by a Forest Service Resource Advisory Committee grant…
Polebridge will have its usual (I use the term advisedly) Fourth of July parade this year. Here’s how the Hungry Horse News puts it:
“The Fourth of July parade at Polebridge will start at noon… The Northern Lights Saloon will have an outdoor barbecue in the afternoon and serve dinners. Polebridge has one of the most unique and shortest parades in the valley, often with hilarious political overtones. The event usually draws 1,000 to 2,000 people each year.”
The HHN also points out that there will be no fireworks (well, duh — lots of trees and long grass?) and no outdoor live music (not officially, anyways).
Oops! Missed this item posted last Friday to the Hungry Horse News site . . .
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the wounding of a grizzly bear near the intersection of the Red Meadow Creek Road and the North Fork Road north of Polebridge.
FWP wardens and biologists investigated the scene on June 2 and tracked the grizzly but were unable to locate it. A trap was set in the area for the bear.
Residents, hikers and other outdoor recreationists are advised to use caution in the Polebridge area until more is learned about the situation. The investigation is ongoing.
BP has climbed on the bandwagon, retiring their local oil and gas leases, including “a 394-acre parcel near the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park.”
The Missoulian has the story . . .
The oil company BP voluntarily gave up its rights to explore for energy along the western border of Glacier National Park, U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced Friday.
“Permanently protecting the North Fork for our kids and grandkids has been one of my biggest priorities for many years,” Baucus said in a written statement. “Today’s decision by BP is another step toward that goal.”
The deal takes 1,853 acres out of potential exploration. That includes a 394-acre parcel near the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park.
At last Tuesday’s meeting, the Flathead County Board of Adjustment approved a conditional use permit for Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe to operate as a tavern in Polebridge. This is a major step in getting them back to full operation under their new management.
The Daily Inter Lake has more information in their write-up on the meeting. The part discussing the saloon is about half-way down.
An update on some North Fork history posted to yesterday’s Flathead Beacon . . .
The man responsible for a 1979 murder in Polebridge has been denied parole.
J.R. Fletcher had a parole hearing on Tuesday.
The 59-year old Fletcher was convicted of stabbing Roy Cooper to death and sentenced to 100 years in prison.
Housing in Polebridge is nothing if not eclectic — a motley collection of cabins, a few houses, a trailer or two, a couple of tipis and now, a yurt. The Flathead Beacon has the story . . .
Nomads first used yurts as portable homes in the harsh steppes of Central Asia. Now Will Hammerquist uses one as a rental in Polebridge.
Hammerquist, Glacier program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, owns a piece of property with a friend in Polebridge. Over the weekend, he invited a Troy-based company called Shelter Designs to his property to give a public demonstration on how to set up a yurt and answer any questions people had about the circular dwellings. Hammerquist plans to rent out the yurt.
The Hungry Horse News posted photos from this year’s Fourth of July parade in Polebridge. Some new faces were in evidence, as well as many of the usual suspects.
*Ahem* Surely a few of the NFPA members got photos. Hint, hint…
From yesterday’s online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
When the national scenic trails system was created four decades ago, the goal was to build a walking path across the United States.
That goal came closer to reality in March, when President Obama signed a bill creating the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail and two others. They are the first such trails designated in 26 years.
Read the entire article . . .
According to a map posted on the Pacific Northwest Trail Association website, the east end of the trail starts in Glacier Park at Chief Mountain Customs near the south edge of Waterton Lake and passes through Polebridge — and a good part of the North Fork — on its way to Eureka and, eventually, the Pacific Coast at Cape Alava.