Outdoor news

Slide show

Flathead Audubon will mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act with a slide show by Chris Peterson, “Birding in the Backcountr.” Peterson has been photographing the backcountry for 16 years and hiked 130 miles in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. He is the photographer for the Hungry Horse News and publisher of the online journal Glacier Park Magazine. The meeting will take place in the United Way Conference Room, in the Gateway Community Center on U.S. 2 West in Kalispell, on Monday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m.

Birding trip

Flathead Audubon will host its annual Mission Valley field trip on Sunday, Jan. 12. Birders will look for hawks, waterfowl and other winter residents along Flathead Lake, through Polson and south in the Mission Valley. Meet trip leaders Leslie Kehoe and Bob Lee at the Somers Park ‘n’ Ride, at the intersection of Highway 82 and U.S. 93, at 8 a.m. To sign up, call 406-837-4467 after 5 p.m.

Hunting survey

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is sampling 160,000 hunters in an effort to gather harvest information on this year’s hunt. The survey asks randomly selected hunters about their hunting effort and harvest success for big game, turkeys, upland game birds and wolves. Wildlife managers say the research is vital to understanding the results of the 2013 season and for setting next season’s hunting regulations. The hunter harvest surveys will continue through March.