Outdoor news
Wilderness films
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation will present the Telluride MountainFilm on Tour at the O’Shaughnessy Center, in Whitefish, on Thursday March 20. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with drinks, food and raffle tickets. Films will start at 7 p.m. MountainFilm on Tour takes a selection of outstanding films from the Telluride festival on the road. A sneak preview will also be shown of “Untrammeled,” created in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and creation of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Tickets are $12 in advance online at www.bmwf.org or $15 at the door. Raffle prizes include guided pack trips in The Bob Marshall Wilderness, ski tickets, rafting trips and more. For more information, visit online at www.bmwf.org.
Aquatic invaders
The Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host Dave Kumlien, director of TU’s Aquatic Invasive Species program, for a presentation in the public meeting room at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 offices, 490 North Meridian Road, in Kalispell, on Tuesday March 18, at 7 p.m. Kumlien will share his knowledge of AIS threats to Montana’s rivers and lakes, and preventive measures anglers can take to help preserve the state’s fisheries. For more information, contact Larry Timchak at 250-7473.
Breakfast chat
The uphill ski policy at Whitefish Mountain Resort will be the topic for the Flathead National Forest’s next no-host breakfast chat at the Pin & Cue, in Whitefish, on Friday on March 21, beginning at 7 p.m. Resort management recently expressed concern about continued non-compliance by members of the public, and the Forest Service is working with the resort to find ways to maintain public access, increase compliance, improve public safety and reduce conflicts with essential operations of a ski resort. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or call 758-5252.
Artists needed
The Glacier National Park Conservancy will auction hiking sticks that have been decorated by student artists in grades 7-12 at schools across Northwest Montana to raise money for GNPC's work as a partner with the Park. The auction will take place during the Backpackers Ball on Aug. 2. Six of the hiking sticks went to the Columbia Falls High School and Columbia Falls Junior High School art departments. Adults who want to decorate a hiking stick can attend artist-led workshops at the Stumptown Art Studio, on Central Avenue in Whitefish, on Wednesday, March 5, April 2 and May 7, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $25 per adult. For more information, visit online at www.stumptownstudio.org or call 862-5929. For more information about the Glacier National Park Conservancy, visit online at https://glacierconservancy.org or call 892-3250.
Wilderness history
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, retired Forest Service employee Al Koss is collecting stories and anecdotes from the Spotted Bear Ranger District, where he worked from 1990-2003, for a booklet to be distributed this year. Examples include stories about the Bunker Lake 12, the Phantom Herd and ghosts at Schafer Meadow and Big Prairie. Stories can be e-mailed to pioinfoal@gmail.com or susieexranger@gmail.com. Suggested deadline is April 1. A special celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act will be held at the Spotted Bear Ranger Station at the south end of the Hungry Horse Reservoir on Saturday, Aug. 2, with more details forthcoming.
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.
Native plants
The Flathead Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society will host a free talk on “The Seduction of art and nature” by artist and ecologist Dana Bush at the Teakettle Community Hall, 235 Nucleus Avenue, in Columbia Falls, on Wednesday, March 19, starting at 7 p.m. Bush transforms ecological concepts into large silk paintings and sculptures.
Park art contest for kids
Glacier National Park and the Glacier National Park Conservancy are accepting original art submissions from sixth through 12th grade students for the annual Park pass artwork contest. The winning art will be displayed on the 2015 Glacier National Park Annual Park Pass. For more information or an application, visit online at www.nps.gov/glac/forkids/index.htm or call 406-888-7800. Deadline is April 11.
Birding trip
Flathead Audubon’s premier birder, Craig Hohenberger, will lead an east Flathead Valley early migration birding field trip on Sunday, March 23, similar to the trip planned for March 2 canceled due to weather. Participants will look for waterfowl, eagles, raptors and other early migrants on a relatively new wetland area near Creston, along Riverside Road, the Flathead River and around Egan and Half-Moon sloughs. Flooded fields, sloughs and open water will make it possible to observe hundreds of tundra and trumpeter swans and snow and Canada geese, diving and dabbling ducks, early songbirds and other interesting birds and wildlife. Meet to carpool at 9 a.m. at the south end of the Creston Fire Hall parking lot on Highway 35. For more information, call Gael Bissell at 261-2255.