Outdoor news

Park expeditions

Former Glacier National Park botanist Rachel Potter will present a talk on “Botanical expeditions in Glacier National Park, 1909 and 1910” at the Montana House Regional Gift Shop in Apgar Village on Saturday, May 12, at 4 p.m. Potter will use written accounts, historic and modern photos and wildflower pictures to discuss the early journeys of noted Western botanist Marcus Jones and Morton Elrod, founder of Flathead Lake Biological Station. Potter holds a botany degree from the University of Montana and is a founding member of the Montana Native Plant Society. There is no cost to attend, but a call to 888-5393 for reservations is recommended.

African birds

Flathead Audubon will host Steve Gniadek’s presentation “Birds of The Gambia, West Africa” at the Whitefish Community Center, 121 Second Street, in Whitefish, on Monday, May 14, at 7 p.m. Gniadek, a former Glacier National Park wildlife biologist, participated in a birding trip to The Gambia in November 2011. More than 500 bird species are found in The Gambia, a country smaller than Flathead County with a population of 1.7 million people. Despite thousands of years of human occupation and a growing population, this tiny country retains some of the best remaining bird habitat in the region, including savannas, mangrove swamps and lush gallery forest along the River Gambia. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and a potluck dinner will begin at 6 p.m.

Loon volunteers

The Montana Loon Society and the Montana Common Loon Working Group need volunteers to help observe and count loons on lakes throughout Northwest Montana on Saturday, May 12, Spring Loon Census Day, and on Saturday, July 14, Loon Day. For areas west of Kalispell, call Gael Bissell at 751-4580; for the Tally/Stillwater area, call Laura Holmquist at 758-3501; for West Flathead Valley and Upper Whitefish Lake, call Chris Forestall at 751-2258; and for Glacier National Park, call Jamie Belt at 888-7986.