Outdoor news
Ranger speaks
Glacier National Park’s North Fork district ranger, Scott Emmerich, will be the second speaker in the Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates’ free 2014 Winter Speaker Series at the Museum at Central School in Kalispell on Monday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. Emmerich will talk about “Highlights of the career of a National Park Service ranger.”
Forest Planning
The Flathead National Forest encourages the public to participate in the ongoing Forest Plan update. Stakeholder collaboration meetings will take place at the Forest Supervisor’s Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, in Kalispell, on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 19 and 20, starting at 5:30 p.m. The first will be for the Habitat, Vegetation and Disturbance Work Group, the second will be for the Recreation, Access, and Wilderness Work Group. Register to attend online at http://merid.org/en/FNFplanrevision.aspx.
Outdoors hall of fame
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Historical Society, Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation, the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Montana Wilderness Association, Montana Trout Unlimited and the Cinnabar Foundation recently established a Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame to honor individuals who contributed to the restoration and conservation of Montana’s fish, wildlife and other outdoor amenities. The first group of potential nominees includes citizens, government officials, hunters and anglers, farmers and ranchers, and people who have worked to protect everything from wilderness and water quality to fish habitat, big game and endangered species. The first class of inductees will be announced in December 2014. For more information contact Jim Posewitz at jim.posewitz@bresnan.net.
Winter tracking
The Glacier Institute will offer a winter ecology and animal tracking course in Glacier National Park on Saturday, March 1. Instructor Beau Servo will start with a short classroom session followed by a field session on snowshoes concentrating on hunting behaviors, prey escape strategy, specialized adaptations, tracks and trails, and wintering birds of prey. The course will begin at the Glacier Park Community Building, behind Park Headquarters in West Glacier, at 9 a.m. The class will conclude at 5 p.m. Cost is $65 per individual. For more information, call 755-1211 or visit online at www.glacierinstitute.org.
Bowhunter ed
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer a free bowhunter education class in Columbia Falls in the Teakettle Community Center on Nucleus Avenue on June 12 and 13 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and on June 14 from noon to 5 p.m. The instructor will be Dave Yeats, at 892-4527. All first-time bowhunters regardless of age must complete the course to purchase an archery stamp in Montana. Students must register online at http://fwp.mt.gov, click “Education.” The field day for the online course, for adults only who have passed the online course and have a certificate on hand, will be held at the Flathead Valley Trap Club on July 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact FWP at 752-5501.
Hunter education
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer a free hunter education class at the Columbia Falls High School on April 10, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22 and 24 from 7-9 p.m. with a field course on Saturday April 26, and test night on April 28. Online registration will take place from Feb. 1 through March 24 at http://fwp.mt.gov, click on “Education.” All students must register online and must attend a mandatory orientation at the Columbia Falls Fire Hall on Tuesday, March 25, between 6 to 8 p.m. Students must bring their permission slip with them at that time, and they will receive their manuals and assignments. By state law, anyone born after Jan. 1, 1985, must have completed the Hunter Education Course to buy a hunting license in Montana. To attend class and become certified, students must be at least 11 years old. For more information, call lead instructor Ray Garth at 862-9100.
Wilderness artists
Applications for the 2014 Artist-Wilderness-Connection Program are due Feb. 28. In 2003, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Flathead National Forest, Hockaday Museum of Art and the Swan Ecosystem Center joined forces to create the program, which includes an artist residency in the wilderness for up to 14 days. The artist benefits from having a remote setting to focus on their art, and the community benefits from presentations the artists offer from their experience. For more information, contact the Hockaday Museum of Art, in Kalispell, at 406-755-5268 or e-mail communications@hockadaymuseum.org.
Wilderness talk
The Montana Wilderness Association’s speaker series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act continues with a panel on “Leaving a legacy: Passing on wilderness to the next generation,” with retired wilderness outfitter Roland Cheek, retired Forest Service ranger Dave Owen, farrier and wilderness advocate Frank Vitale, University of Montana student Rebecca Boslough, and high school student Jonson England. The event will take place at the Flathead Valley Community College’s Arts and Technology Building Room 139 on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m.