Outdoor news
Fly-tying class offered soon
Flathead Valley Trout Unlimited will sponsor free fly-tying classes for those new to the sport or those already into fly-tying and wanting to advance their skills. The classes will be held at Kalispell Middle School library, 205 Parkway Drive, on Mondays, Jan. 7, 14, 21 and 28 and Feb. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. Fly-tying material and hooks will be furnished. Students should bring their own tools, but some equipment will be loaned out. For more information or to sign up, contact Jim Johnson at 837-3210 or sallyjim@centurytel.net.
Groomed ski trails
All trails within the Round Meadow Recreation Area north of Whitefish will be closed while timber harvest activity continues to reduce the spread and severity of a mountain pine beetle outbreak. Once adequate snow accumulates, alternate ski trails will be groomed and opened to the public about three miles west on Star Meadow Road No. 539. A parking area will be set up on the south side of Star Meadow Road at the intersection with Hill Meadow Road No. 2929. North of the parking area, more than five miles of groomed ski trails will be established on Forest Road No. 11208. For more information, contact the Tally Lake Ranger District at 758-5204.
Wilderness art
The Flathead National Forest, Hockaday Museum of Art, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and Swan Ecosystem Center invite artists to apply for the 2013 Artist-Wilderness-Connection Program. Professional working artists of various disciplines, media and styles in the program spend up to two weeks in a remote forest cabin to focus on their respective art. The program connects artists with wild lands like the Bob Marshall and Great Bear wilderness areas. More than 25 artists have participated in the program since its start in 2004. Applications and information about the program are available at www.hockadaymuseum.org. Deadline is Feb. 28. For more information, contact Teresa Wenum at the Flathead Forest at 758-5218, or Liz Moss at the Hockaday Museum of Art at 755-5268.
Stream work
Glacier National Park is seeking public comment on a proposal to conduct stream bed maintenance and install rip-rap as needed at bridges and culverts along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. High water from spring run-off and weather events can cause bridge spans and culverts along the road to become clogged with sediment and debris. The Park proposes removing or dredging sediments as needed from stream channels at bridges and culverts along the Sun Road beyond what already occurs and placing rip-rap at the Logan Creek Bridge and other bridges and culverts along the road as needed to reduce sediment deposits caused by erosion. For more information, visit online at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/GTSRBridgesCulverts. Comments can be posted online or mailed to Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: GTSR Bridge/Culvert EA, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier MT, 59936. Deadline is Jan. 3.