Plum Creek donates to SAR

A recent $4,000 grant from the Plum Creek Foundation will help the North Valley Rescue Association purchase an all-terrain vehicle for its backcountry rescue operations in the greater Flathead Valley.

“Our missions include searches for hunters, skiers, snowmobilers, boaters and hikers, as well as the recovery of victims of avalanches, drowning, et cetera,” association vice president Eric Balch said. “Some missions last only an hour or two, but it sometimes takes days or even weeks. This ATV will be a great help in getting into remote areas.”

Based in Columbia Falls, the association was founded in 1970 after a Columbia Falls resident drowned. Members are required to be trained in CPR and are on call 24 hours a day.

The all-volunteer organization’s 65 members donate as much as 100 hours a year to rescue efforts. They often must come up with their own boats, snowmobiles and other vehicles for search and rescue missions.

Although it receives some funding from Flathead County, the association depends on donations such as the Plum Creek Foundation grant.

The grant will go toward the addition of a Polaris ATV for the association’s small fleet of rescue vehicles and boats.