Outdoor news

The Glacier National Park Fund recently received a $10,000 grant from the Unilever United States Foundation to support teachers and students in Glacier National Park's citizen science program. More than 400 citizen scientists have studied loons, pikas, mountain goats and weeds. A recent master's thesis by the Park's citizen science coordinator found no statistical difference between data gathered by citizen scientists and by trained biologists. For more information, visit online at www.glacierfund.org or call 892-3250.

The Glacier Institute will host an all-day educational opportunity in Glacier National Park for disabled veterans, combat veterans and their families on two Sundays, June 12 and 26. The group will travel to the Avalanche Creek picnic area and viewpoints along Upper McDonald Creek. For more information, call 755-1211.

The Great Northern Criterium bike race will take place in downtown Whitefish on Saturday, June 11, beginning at 9 a.m. There will also be a children's bike race at 11 a.m. and children's bike parade at noon. The Circuit Race will take place on Sunday, June 12, beginning at 9 a.m. on Lodgepole and Twin Bridges roads, northwest of Whitefish. The Flathead Fat Tires club will give mountain bike tours at the Pig Farm trails on Farm To Market Road on Sunday afternoon. For more information, call Great Northern Cycles at 862-5321.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer its free bowhunting classes for the Columbia Falls area at the North Valley Community Center on Nucleus Avenue on June 14-20 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Monday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. For more information and to register, call instructor Dave Yeats at 892-4527.

Montana Raft Company will host their 15th annual Rafting for Refuse Day at Montana Raft Company, 11970 U.S. 2, in West Glacier, on Saturday, June 18, beginning at 9 a.m. Pre-registered participants 12-or-older will clean up trash along the river and at public river access points on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. All the necessary equipment for rafting will be provided along with professional guides and van support. Volunteers should bring work gloves and a water bottle. A complimentary barbecue will take place after the cleanup. For more information and to make a reservation, call 387-5555 or e-mail info@glacierguides.com.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer its free trapper education course at the Flathead Valley Trap Club, off KM Ranch Road, north of Kalispell, on Saturday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information or to register, stop by the FWP offices on North Meridian Road, in Kalispell, or call 752-5501. Instructors will emphasize trapper ethics, regulations, trapping heritage and trap sets. The course is not mandatory for trappers but it is strongly recommended.

Flathead Native Plant Society is looking for volunteers to work at the Glacier National Park Nursery every Tuesday from June 21 to Aug. 23. Volunteers will help with seeding, transplanting, weeding and cleaning, or work on a particular research or experimental project. For more information, call Joyce Lapp at 888-7817.

Glacier Anglers and Great Northern Brewing will host free fly-casting instruction, fishing seminars and a chance to qualify for the All Cast National Fly Casting championships during the Cast-Off 2011 at the Glacier Outdoor Center, in West Glacier, on Saturday, June 11, starting at 10 a.m. Classes will include "Beyond bugs - Fly selection and river ecology," "Trout hunting - reading water and putting your fly where the fish are" and "From nets to knots - choosing the right equipment and tying it all together."

Flathead Native Plant Society is looking for volunteers for the Glacier National Park Noxious Weed Blitz on Thursday, July 28. Participants will learn how to identify five targeted non-native invasive plant species, how to conduct invasive plant surveys, and how to map locations using GPS units. Participants will then break into smaller groups and head out to areas around West Glacier to pull weeds. For more information, contact the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at 888-7986 or by e-mailing glac_citizen_science@nps.gov.