News:
July 8-19, 2017 wildfires in the US Highway 2 area in northwest Montana.
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Rogers Mtn - Lazier Creek 3 Fire Info July 19, 2017 (posted 7/19/17)
Final Fire Update
Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
Fire Information Line: 406-298-5802
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5352/
Facebook: Eastern Montana IMT II
Email: easternmtimt2@gmail.com
This will be the final update from Thompson’s Northern Rockies Type II IMT for the Rogers Mtn-Lazier Creek 3 Fire. Beginning July 20th, please call the DNRC at: 406-250-4825.
Start date: July 8, 2017
Location: Highway 2 corridor
Cause: Lightning
Total Personnel: 248
Thompson’s Type II Incident Management Team will transfer command of the Rogers Mtn-Lazier Creek 3 incident to the Montana Department of Natural Resources Northwestern Land Office at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 20th. A Type III organization will manage the Rogers Mountain and Lazier Creek 3 fires, the other three fires will be transferred to the DNRC Kalispell and Libby Units, respectively.
Lazier Creek 3 Fire: 1,145 acres, 100% contained, 204 personnel assigned. Located south of Highway 2 and west of the Thompson River Road. Crews will continue to remove hose and other equipment from secure areas of fireline. Resources, including engines, will remain on scene to patrol the fire.
Rogers Mountain Fire: 78 acres, 100% contained, 34 personnel assigned. Located 3 miles Northwest of Happy’s Inn. Crews will continue to remove hose and other equipment from secure areas of fireline. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
Grubb Fire: 16 acres, 100 % contained, 3 personnel assigned. Located north of Pleasant Valley. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
NW Meadow Peak Fire: 12 acres, 100% contained, 4 personnel assigned. Located northwest of Meadow Peak Lookout. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
2645 Fire: 4 acres, 100% contained, 3 personnel assigned. Located just west of the NW Meadow Peak Fire. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
Weather: Weather will continue to be hot and dry through today with a weak cold front bringing increased winds on Thursday.
Current fire information can be found at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Kids Day Out July 25 at Libby Dam.
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Libby Dam Kids Day July 25 (posted 7/18/17)
Join park rangers at Libby Dam Visitor Center for fun-filled kids' activities
Libby Dam Visitor Center will be hosting a day full of activities catered towards, but not limited to, children ages 5 to 12 on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Activities will begin at 11 a.m.; parents are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to get the kids registered. All participants will need a parent or guardian in attendance.
There will be multiple stations set up, with different activities, including: face painting, animal tracking, bird watching (some hiking), water safety activities, assembling park ranger craft hats and a tour of Libby Dam to wrap things up. Participants will be divided into appropriate age groups and rotate stations at designated times. There may also be time to play at the playground during lunch break.
Guardians and participants do not have to take the dam tour beginning at 3 p.m., but are welcome
to do so. The weather forecast predicts temperatures in the 90's. The floating dock is open
and life jackets are available if guardians and kids are interested in swimming on their own later in the day.
ITEMS TO BRING:
- Lunch /snacks
- Sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Binoculars (if possible)
- $ for bookstore
Questions or to sign up, please call the Visitor Center: 406-293-5577.
Swimming lessons offered July 24-27 (posted 7/18/17)
Swimming lessons are being offered in Libby for kids age 1-12 years old. Lessons are from July 24-27, 2017. Cost is $15 for four days of 30-minute lessons. Get more information or register online at: www.libbychristianchurch.com/events
Constructing Fireline Crews construct fireline on the Rogers Mtn Fire. Photo courtesy Northern Rockies Incident Management Team.
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Rogers Mtn – Lazier Creek Fire update July 17, 2017 (posted 7/17/17)
Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
Start date: July 8, 2017
Location: Highway 2 corridor
Cause: Lightning
Total Personnel: 436
Thompson’s Type II Incident Management Team is managing the following five fires in the Highway 2 corridor of northwest Montana:
Lazier Creek 3 Fire: 1,145 acres, 70% contained, 362 personnel assigned
Located south of Highway 2 and west of the Thompson River Road. Firefighters on the northeast portion of the fire worked to extinguish a small spot fire yesterday. Today, crews in this area will continue to grid the fire area for remaining hot spots. Firefighters on the remaining fire perimeter made good progress with mop up operations working several hundred feet into the interior.
Rogers Mountain Fire: 78 acres, 90% contained, 47 personnel assigned
Located 3 miles Northwest of Happy’s Inn. Firefighters will continue to grid the interior of the fire for any remaining hot spots as occasional smokes are still occurring in areas of unburned fuel.
Grubb Fire: 16 acres, 100 % contained, 6 personnel assigned
Located north of Pleasant Valley. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
NW Meadow Peak Fire: 12 acres, 100% contained, 12 personnel assigned
Located northwest of Meadow Peak Lookout. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
2645 Fire: 4 acres, 100% contained, 9 personnel assigned
Located just west of the NW Meadow Peak Fire. Resources remain on scene to patrol the fire.
Firefighting resources, including helicopters, will be available for initial attack activity in the area.
Closures:
The road closure on Thompson River Road was lifted yesterday (July 16) at 6:00 am. Please use caution while traveling in the area as increased traffic remains.
Weather:
Cooler temperatures and lighter winds are expected throughout today. Though temperatures will remain cooler, relative humidity is continuing to drop.
Protect Your Public Lands! Check area fire restrictions and closures.
More fire info:
Fire Information Line: 406-298-5802
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5352/
Facebook: Eastern Montana IMT II
Email: easternmtimt2@gmail.com
Rogers Mtn – Lazier Creek Fire update July 16 (posted 7/16/17)
Rogers Mtn – Lazier Creek Fire update July 16
Start date: July 8, 2017
Location: Highway 2 corridor
Cause: Lightning
Total Personnel: 483
Thompson’s Type II Incident Management Team is managing the following five fires in the Highway 2 corridor:
Lazier Creek 3 Fire: 1,145 acres, 60% contained, 388 personnel assigned. Located south of Highway 2 and west of the Thompson River Road. Today firefighting resources will focus on the east end of the fire ensuring line is secure. Mop up operations on the remaining fire perimeter will continue using hose lays to deliver water to hot spots.
Rogers Mountain Fire: 78 acres, 80% contained, 47 personnel assigned. Located 3 miles Northwest of Happy’s Inn. Mop up operations will continue through the day with crews gridding the interior of the fire for any remaining hot spots.
Grubb Fire: 16 acres, 100 % contained, 16 personnel assigned. Located north of Pleasant Valley. Resources will remain on scene to patrol the fire looking for new smoke and hot spots.
NW Meadow Peak Fire: 12 acres, 100% contained, 17 personnel assigned. Located northwest of Meadow Peak Lookout. Resources will remain on scene to patrol the fire looking for new smoke and hot spots.
2645 Fire: 4 acres, 100% contained, 15 personnel assigned. Located just west of the NW Meadow Peak Fire. Resources will remain on scene to patrol the fire looking for new smoke and hot spots.
Firefighting resources, including helicopters, will be available for initial attack activity in the area.
Closures: The road closure on Thompson River Road was lifted this morning at 6:00am. Please use caution while traveling in the area as increased traffic remains.
Weather: A red flag warning is in effect today until 9:00 pm. A cold front will cause westerly winds to increase with gusts up to 20 mph. Though temperatures will remain cooler, relative humidity is continuing to drop.
Important: Drones are prohibited in the fires vicinity & have potential to shut down all operations.
Protect Your Public Lands! Make sure campfires are DEAD OUT.
More fire info:
Fire Information Line: 406-298-5802
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5352/
Facebook: Eastern Montana IMT II
Email: easternmtimt2@gmail.com
Wildfire update – July 14, 2017 (posted 7/14/17)
Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
Fire Start Date: July 8, 2017
Location: Highway 2 corridor
Cause: Lightning
Total Personnel: 417
Thompson’s Type II Incident Management Team is managing the following five fires in the Highway 2 corridor:
Rogers Mountain Fire: 78 acres, 60% contained, 69 personnel assigned. Located 3 miles Northwest of Happy’s Inn. Firefighters completed laying hose and will continue to extinguish hot spots around the perimeter of the fire. Crews will begin working into the interior of the fire utilizing water to cool of pockets of heat. Efforts will focus on the southern edge of the fire where the fire was most active yesterday.
Lazier Creek 3 Fire: 1,145 acres, 35% contained, 300 personnel assigned. Located south of Highway 2 and west of the Thompson River Road. Firefighters are working to extend hose lays from the northwestern perimeter of the fire as it continues to hold heat. Hotshot crews continue to improve fireline along the northern perimeter. Crews in the southeastern portion of the fire saw increased fire activity due to warmer weather and gusty winds including group tree torching and spotting. Aircraft will continue to drop water on the areas with the most heat to aid firefighters on the ground.
Grubb Fire: 16 acres, 100 % contained, 16 personnel assigned. Located north of Pleasant Valley. Engine crews continue with mop up efforts extinguishing any remaining pockets of heat.
NW Meadow Peak Fire: 12 acres, 95% contained, 17 personnel assigned. Located northwest of Meadow Peak Lookout. Firefighters are focused on extinguishing remaining hot spots utilizing hose lays and engines to cool those areas off with water.
2645 Fire: 4 acres, 80% contained, 15 personnel assigned. Located just west of the NW Meadow Peak Fire. Crews continue with mop up efforts extinguishing remaining hot spots utilizing hose lays and a water tender to cool those areas off with water.
Closures: The Thompson River Road is closed at the junction with Highway 2 south to the 28 mile marker.
Weather: Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 90’s with winds from 5-10 mph and gusts up to 15mph. There is a chance for lightning early Saturday morning through noon; no wetting rain is expected to accompany the lightning.
Important – Drones are prohibited in the fires vicinity & have potential to shut down all operations.
Fire Danger Very High
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Fire danger moves to Very High (posted 7/14/17)
Interagency Fire
Interagency Fire Officials made the decision this morning (Friday, July 14, 2017) to raise the Fire Danger Level from "High" to "Very High". When the fire danger is "Very High", fires will start easily from most causes. The fires will spread rapidly and have a quick increase in intensity, right after ignition. Small fires can quickly become large fires and exhibit extreme fire intensity, such as long-distance spotting and fire whirls. These fires can be difficult to control and will often become much larger and longer-lasting fires.
Hot, and mostly dry weather will continue through the weekend, with thunderstorms expected tonight into Saturday across all of western Montana. On Sunday, a cold front passage may lead to critical fire weather conditions in northwest Montana as winds become breezy and the relative humidity’s drop.
Elevating the fire danger enhances public awareness that wildfire probability increases as temperatures rise and vegetation dries out. Since July 1 there have been a total of 69 reported wildfires in the area; many were lightning caused; with over half being human-caused. As the numbers reveal, human-caused fires are a contributing factor to the overall fire danger situation.
At this time, campfires are banned on Weyerhaeuser property lands in Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, Missoula, Sanders and Ravalli counties due to very high fire danger. Interagency Fire Officials will continue to monitor conditions, and look closely at the number of human caused fire starts to determine if fire restrictions need to be ordered and put in place in the greater Flathead area.
While recreating in the Flathead, please stay on designated roads and never park on dry brush or grass, as exhaust pipes and vehicle undercarriages can be very hot and easily start a wildfire. Please check spark arrestors on off-road vehicles, chain saws and other equipment with internal-combustion engines to ensure they are in working order. Never leaving a campfire unattended, and making sure they are completely extinguished before leaving is something expected of every recreationist.
Additionally, an interagency fire information line has been established in order to streamline calls, share facts and serve the public during fire season. The Office of Emergency Services Information Line is 406-758-2111, and the Interagency Fire Fact Sheet can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/FlatheadOES . Fact sheets will be updated as needed during the fire season.
2017 Kootenai Valley Triathlon August 26th
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2017 Kootenai Valley Triathlon August 26 (posted 7/5/17)
The 2017 Kootenai Valley Triathlon will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2017. The event is being organized by Libby Christian Church. Events are RUN, PADDLE, PEDAL. 5K Run or 3K Walk, 7 Mile Paddle, 7.5 Mile Pedalve. Start time is 9AM. Early Bird registration ends after August 7. Register or more information at http://www.libbychristianchurch/events or find it on Facebook.
Two female grizzly bears captured in the Yaak (posted 6/28/17)
Relocated bears feeding on lawns near residences
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
On June 20, 2017, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) captured two 2.5-year old grizzly bear siblings in the upper Yaak River area after the bears were seen grazing on lawns at several residences, and accessed songbird feeders. These siblings were previously captured in the Creston Valley area of British Columbia, Canada after being seen near residences on June 5, 2017. Canadian conservation officers captured and relocated the bears in British Columbia near the Montana border to prevent conflict with humans in the Creston area. Canadian researchers fitted one of the females with a GPS tracking collar.
The decision was made to split up the siblings and put as much landscape as possible between them. This technique of splitting up siblings has worked in the past for reducing potential conflict with people. British Columbia offered to take back the female that was collared in Canada, therefore that female was relocated back to British Columbia in White Creek, a tributary of the St. Mary’s River, on June 22 and will continue to be monitored by researchers in British Columbia. The second female was fitted with a GPS collar and released in upper Spread Creek, Montana, on June 21. This female will be monitored by FWP.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks encourages residents to remove songbird feeders and other bear attractants during the months that bears are awake.
For more information, contact Kim Annis, FWP Cabinet-Yaak Bear Management Specialist, at 406-293-4161 or 406-291-1320.
New legislation offers chance for property owners to file claims on exempt water rights (posted 6/16/17)
Montana Dept. Natural Resources and Conservation
HELENA, MONTANA – As part of its work to implement House Bill 110 (HB110), which was passed by the 65th Legislature, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is notifying all property owners in the state of their opportunity to file a claim for their exempt water rights.
Not all property owners who receive a notification letter will find it necessary to respond, said DNRC Director John Tubbs.
"The conditions required for a water right owner to file a claim do not apply to everyone, but the legislation mandates that all landowners be notified by July 1, 2017," Tubbs said. "Ultimately this is a property right issue, and lawmakers determined it was important that everyone receive the information."
An exempt water right is defined as a water right that was in existence before July 1 of 1973. Water rights in this time period were exempted from two previous mandatory claim filing periods which took place in 1982 and 1996. Exempt water rights are for livestock and individual domestic uses based upon instream flows or groundwater sources only – they do not include rights for irrigation, diverted stock water from ditches or reservoirs, or commercial and municipal wells.
Under HB110, the filing period for exempt water right claims began on May 7, 2017, and will end on June 30, 2019. Tubbs said it’s very important that exempt water right owners take advantage of this opportunity to file their claims.
"If you don’t file your claim, your water right will not be enforceable against any filed water rights, including water rights that are junior in priority," he said. "Filing ensures protection for your water right."
Step-by-step instructions for filing an exempt water right claim, along with FAQs, contact information and more, is available on the DNRC web site at http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/water/adjuciation/hb-110-exempt-claim-filing
Exempt water right claim forms are available at any DNRC regional office, the Montana Water Court, or online at the web address above. The cost to file an exempt claim is $130.00, with a cap of $1,560.00, or 12 claims per water division. All claims beyond 12 for a single owner within a single water division have no additional filing fees.
Exempt water right owners who filed their claims prior to April 30, 1982, or during the late filing period that ended on June 30, 1996, do not need to update their claims.
Tubbs noted that some landowners may have previously filed a 627 form (Exempt Notice), titled "Notice of Water Right with the DNRC." This notice is not a water right; it provided a means of ensuring that exempt water right owners who had not yet filed a claim received legal notices in accordance with other water users in their area.
"The 627 Exempt Notice form was for noticing purposes only and is not considered a valid water right," said Tubbs. "If you filed this form, you should consider filing an exempt statement of claim at this time."
DNRC has set up a call center to assist landowners with any questions they may have about the filing process. The number is (406) 444-0560.
Libby
lies in the northwest corner of Montana and is nestled in a valley carved by the
Kootenai River on the flank of the majestic Cabinet Mountain Range and Wilderness
Area. Today
about 2,800 people live within Libby proper. The main industries are lumber and
wood products, mining, tourism and recreation. The movies "The River Wild" and
"Always" were filmed here. Contact the Libby
Chamber of Commerce for brochures, info on lodging and events, general area
information, and contact information for local businesses and services.
SUMMER
When the weather warms and the mountain
snows melt away, the Kootenai National Forest comes alive with over 2.2
million acres of public land as a playground. Mountain trails and lakes
open up, beautiful wildflowers come in bloom, and wildlife have their young.
Libby is the basecamp for the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, 90-mile
long Lake Koocanusa, the Northwest Peaks Scenic Area, and the Ten Lakes
Scenic Area. There is good access to most of the Forest and plenty of room
to get away from it all!
WINTER
Winter in Montana means snow, and lots
of it! For those who love to play in the deep powder, the Libby area offers tremendous
winter fun. Turner Mountain Ski Area, located
just 22 miles from Libby, offers challenging downhill skiing with a beautiful
view. Their slogan is "steep, deep and cheap", and Turner definitely
lives up to that. It's still fairly undiscovered, so you can escape the crowds
and get the cheapest lift tickets around. For those who love snowmobiling,
there are hundreds of miles of backcountry roads to sled on in the Kootenai National
Forest. Cross-country skiers and ice fishermen also can find solitude on a lake
and miles of quiet forest trails to enjoy the outdoors. Those who are a bit on
the wild and crazy side will love the antics of the Libby Polar Bear Club.
Members take winter-time "swims" in frigid Libby Creek every Sunday
from October to April. Plungers have ranged in age from 3 to 61. As long as the
ice can be broken on the creek, if it has formed, the group will take their plunge,
no matter the temperature.
These people must be
craaaazzzzzy!
Libby
Polar Bear Club
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