Outdoor news
State parks plan
Montana State Parks is seeking public comment on a draft strategic plan, “Charting a New Tomorrow,” which will establish a shared direction for programs through the year 2020. A public meetings to present the plan will be held at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 offices, 490 North Meridian Road, in Kalispell, on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Comments can be sent to Montana State Parks Draft Strategic Plan, P.O. Box 200701, Helena MT 59620-0701 or made online at http://stateparks.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/board/pn_0007.html. Deadline is Nov. 19.
Bird watching
Flathead Audubon will lead a trip to view early season migrants in the Mission Valley on Sunday, Nov. 2. Meet trip leaders Leslie Kehoe and Bob Lee at the Somers Park ‘n’ Ride at U.S. 93 and Highway 82 at 8 a.m. For more information, call Leslie or Bob evenings at 837-4467.
Glacier Park talks
Flathead Valley Community College will present a free lecture series, “All About Glacier,” in the Arts and Technology Building on Wednesdays. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 spokesperson John Fraley will speak about “Two Women in Glacier National Park History: Adventures and Legacy of the Bootleg Lady of Glacier Park and the Cattle Queen of Montana” on Oct. 29. Author Blake Passmore will talk about “What They Called It: The Story Behind the Names Along Going-to-the-Sun Road” on Nov. 5. And author Jake Bramante will talk about “Hike 734: Every Mile of Glacier’s Trails In One Incredible Summer” on Nov. 12. For more information, contact the FVCC Continuing Education Center at 756-3832.
Wilderness auction
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation will host its eighth annual Voices of the Wilderness silent auction with special guest Smoke Elser at the Alpine Ballroom, 333 Main Street, in Kalispell, on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. Keynote speaker will be legendary storyteller Smoke Elser, and musical guests be the Appalachian bluegrass group Spring Wagon String Band. The famed outfitter and packer was the subject of the 2011 PBS special “3 Miles an Hour.” Auction items include oil and water color paintings, photography, pottery, leatherwork, local gift cards, outdoor gear, handmade jewelry, cast iron and more. A Kokopelli Packraft and a five-day pack trip with Swan Mountain Outfitters are the two grand prize raffle items. Tickets are $15 in advance, available online at www.bmwf.org/events.html, or $20 at the door, and include one free drink, snacks and Sweet Peaks ice cream. Space is limited. All proceeds benefit the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation. For more information, visit online at www.bmwf.org.
Verizon grant
The Glacier Institute, a nonprofit organization that specializes in educating people on public lands, recently received a $9,865 grant from the Verizon Foundation to support youth education at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, focusing specifically on sustainable practices.
Boy Scouts
Members of Boy Scout Troop 1903 recently earned the Glacier National Park Scout Service Award for completing service projects in the Park this past summer. Stag Patrol members Ben Firestone and Tanis Hadwin joined Lightning Patrol members Josh Green and Luke Ritzdorf for a camping trip at Logging Creek on Aug. 15-17, where they cleared brush to establish a defensible space to protect the site from wildfire, filled potholes in the roadway, move fence posts and dug a floodwater diversion ditch.
Climate change
Amy Seaman will talk about a recent report on the impacts of climate change on birds during Flathead Audubon’s meeting in the Gateway Community Center, on U.S. 2 West in Kalispell, on Monday, Nov.10, at 7 p.m. The study released in early September reported that 314 North American bird species are on the brink of survival. The study is based on more than 30 years of bird observations from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count and data from leading climatologists in the U.S. and Canada.