Old mom nature not always a friend

Remember when I wrote that the snowpack was only one factor in whether we had flooding? 

Heavy rains proved my point once again. Luckily, the really heavy rains fell south of Polebridge down to Columbia Falls and were just normal to the north and south of that relatively narrow band. Although closed to the general public, the North Fork Road was never closed to North Fork residents and Camas Road was also always open. 

In 1964 long sections of the North Fork Road were washed away and the bridges at West Glacier, Blankenship and Columbia Falls were destroyed, washed away or the approaches were gone. Nothing like that this time, but it is a good reminder that Mother Nature is not always a benevolent force, folks who have to go to town every week should still stockpile emergency rations.

As expected, Gary McDonough has already caught up with my bear count and more than doubled it. Most frequent sighting this week has been of a blonde grizzly female with two good-sized cubs that are also blond. 

They have been seen multiple times along the road or at homes from Ford Station north. I hope the Forest Service gives renters good information before staying at Schnaus, Ford, and Wurtz. Or anywhere else for that matter. 

Locals are well-versed on living with bears, but I worry about newcomers and tourists. Especially after seeing the video of the female tourist petting a bison in Yellowstone Park. Keep your distance from all wildlife. Even those tame-looking deer at campgrounds can cut you three ways with their front feet, wide, deep and often.

As spring winds down and summer approaches we are seeing more summer residents arriving as well as advance scouts of tourists helping to keep Montana green.

To aid them in spending money, The Northern Lights, Mercantile and Home Ranch Store are now open seven days a week with trinkets from China and other tourist items as well as great dinners, a full service bar and friendly service.

North Fork social activities are free and if you are not a member of any of the organizations, check out the bulletin board at the Polebridge Merc or Sondreson Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend any or all of these activities—members and nonmembers alike.

First business meeting of the Landowners Association will be Saturday, June 4 at Sondreson Hall at 7 p.m. At 6 p.m. there will be a slide show at Sondreson Hall about the Red Bench Fire and photo albums with photos from the Moose and Wedge Canyon fires. Folks need to see these to get an idea about fire behavior and to understand the complexity of a large, stand replacement fire, not to mention being entertained by anecdotes from my vast storehouse of  knowledge and B.S.