Brochures and potholes

We all look forward to spring. Our members tend to focus on sunshine and green grass and we tend to forget the mud and slush. Every year is pretty close to the same. The calendar says it is spring and the snow is almost gone in Columbia Falls.

Not so on the North Fork.

North of Polebridge there is still plenty of snow and nighttime temperatures tend to drop below freezing. Biggest change in March is the road. Thanks to the county road department the winter snow pavement is pretty much gone and there’s a lot of bare road. Unfortunately, it is also pothole breeding season and they really multiply during rainy weather.

Same thing with frost boils.

Luckily, frost boils seem to occur in the same spots every year — just north of Moran Creek Bridge, from Harts to Holcombs and north by Sullivans. I know Don Sullivan and the McDonoughs are hoping that this year’s road construction will do away with most of the mud problems on the North end.

Despite the calendar I don’t consider it spring until the snow is gone, glacier lilies bloom,

and the mosquitoes start to whine. That is one of my favorite times, to sit by the river and watch for geese and early floaters and other wildlife.

All landowners can now be on the lookout for their mailings from the North Fork Land Association (NFLA).

First on my mind is the NFLA spring newsletter. This will include the summer schedule plus some short informational articles. I make extra copies so I can have one at the cabin and one in my briefcase. I always attend business meetings and go to selected social events.

The NFLA Community Hall is a great place to meet and greet neighbors you might not see too often.

There will also be a copy of the new “Welcome to the North Fork” brochure. Everyone, old-timers and newcomers will receive a copy and you can keep it or pass it on to new neighbors.

Also, a short brochure with information about Land Use Planning and how you can be involved in this year’s effort to bring the regulations up to date by clarifying definitions and protecting property rights.

All of this information is the result of multiple meetings, emails and face-to-face

meetings with individuals. The common goal is to inform everyone about what is going on, how you can be involved and how we can do what is best for the community. Every landowner is important, from those who are part-timers to full-time residents.

Whether you own one acre or a thousand, we all have a lot in common — a love for the North Fork being at the top of the list.

What do you think?

Larry Wilson's North Fork Views appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.