Community

July 13

Bigfork hosts the world

Montana hospitality is once again impacting the world.

For the ninth time, future leaders from 54 countries experienced Bigfork in what many call the best diplomacy program the United States has to offer.

International Fellows, a program designed by Colin Powell and the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., offers military leaders a glimpse of real life in a small, western town. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff personally invites officers from around the world into the program.

And the results are truly remarkable.

Doug Averill, owner of Flathead Lake Lodge and host of the event, has seen enemies become good friends in a matter of days.

"We had officers from India and Pakistan here during their big stand off a few years ago," Averill said. "At first, they would hardly get on the bus together. But after their time here, they shook hands and said, 'Let's go back and work on this thing.' It doesn't take many situations like that to feel like you've made a difference."

Aug. 3

Deep water

The construction of two Somers condominium units within the Flathead Lake floodplain has some asking how it could happen and others pointing fingers in attempt to answer that question.

Construction on the Somers Bay Villas, LLC condominium project came to a halt more than a month ago when county officials discovered that the foundation of two of the condominiums' 23 units had been built in the lake floodplain. That construction is in violation of Flathead County lakeshore protection regulations.

Developer Doug Gamble voluntarily stopped construction on the buildings once the floodplain issue was discovered - something he said was inadvertent. Complaints from neighboring residents prompted the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office to investigate a large plume of muddy water extending out into the lake in front of the development's sea wall. Planning and zoning office director Jeff Harris said the developer placed clay and sand fill within the Lakeshore Protection Zone, which extends from the lakeshore 20 feet landward. That action was illegal, and the developer removed the fill material after the county issued him an emergency order.

Aug. 10

Park problems

Public outcry concerning the planned community park in the Lake Hills subdivision caused the board of the Flathead County Parks and Recreation to rescind the previously approved plan of a playground, walking path, minor landscaping and a $3,000 commitment.

"This situation is a mess," Jed Fisher, Flathead County Parks and Recreation director, said at the start of the 8 a.m. meeting on Monday. "The only thing I could figure to do is to bring everyone back together and make yet another decision."

According to neighbors who originally supported the park, their approval was based on the thought that the county would sell the park if left undeveloped. Once they discovered that the county wasn't even thinking about selling the land, they opposed any development.

"It is not a priority for us to sell this park," Fisher said. "The sale is not going to happen."

Sept. 7

Water quality

Over 100 Flathead Valley businesses voiced support for conserving the valley's headwater streams last month in a signed letter to Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

Flathead area business owners urged Gov. Schweitzer to take a strong stance on maintaining clean water in the streams and rivers that flow from the back country and through the Flathead Basin and ultimately end up in Flathead Lake.

Business owners from Kalispell to Polson with stores ranging from fly-fishing shops, outdoor gear retailers, restaurants and mercantiles signed on to the letter to promote their belief that the Flathead Basin's clean headwater streams provide healthy living for families, outstanding recreation and a great environment for good business.

"You see a lot of out-of-state plates come summer time because our lakes and rivers don't look like something from the east coast," said Terry Leonard of the Flathead Lake Brewing Company in Woods Bay.

Sept. 14

Vigilant

Monday marked the fifth anniversary of America's national tragedy - the terrorist bombings of Sept. 11, 2001. It also meant the continuation of a local tradition started to remember the fallen.

Beginning at 6:46 a.m. [Mountain Time] Monday, the moment the first airplane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, a lone Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department firefighter dressed in full gear and holding an American flag and an ax stood at attention in front of the Ferndale fire hall. Completing one-hour shifts until midnight, the department's volunteer firefighters shared the duty of honoring the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives five years ago.

The deaths of 343 firefighters were individual acts of heroism, according to Dominic Kovacevic of the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, who helped mastermind the vigil of a lone firefighter holding an American flag.

"It wasn't institutional heroism," Kovacevic said, such as a planned engagement, "it was individual acts of heroism." Kovacevic said each firefighter knew what the risks were when he or she entered the World Trade Center buildings. "That individual sacrifice is why we chose to go with a single fireman."

"Frankly, we considered a bunch of other things, but we wanted something that was meaningful in its simplicity," Kovacevic said. "What simple image can you go home with, drive by there, grasp your arms around it, in its simplicity?"

Oct. 5

Bigfork loses an icon

A warm sun illuminated the autumn colors along the Swan Valley's Sprunger-Whitney Trail Monday afternoon. A gentle breeze gave life to the pines, and a pine squirrel chattered with the call of a lone raven. Such serene moments will forever give life to the legacy of Jack Whitney.

Bigfork said goodbye to one of its most colorful and respected residents Sept. 25 when Whitney passed away peacefully at Kalispell Regional Medical Center after a battle with pneumonia. Whitney is remembered by family and friends alike as an incomparable outdoorsman and dedicated conservationist, skilled woodworker and a sincere, generous soul.

Born in Ronan, Mont., on Oct. 31, 1916 and raised in a home just above the head of the Swan River Nature Trail in downtown Bigfork, Whitney spent only a few years away from Bigfork and the Flathead Valley while serving his country in the Aleutian Islands as part of the U.S. Navy during World War II. The Swan Valley was Whitney's backyard, and he once said you can't throw a stone anywhere on the entire Swan Range without it crossing someplace he had once stood.

Nov. 2

Teacher of the year

Bigfork High School English teacher Mary Sullivan traveled to Billings Oct. 19 and 20 for a professional development workshop - she left eastern Montana as the Montana English Teacher of the Year.

"I felt very honored to be recognized by fellow English teachers," Sullivan said. "I was very honored, and I was humbled."

Sullivan received the honor through the Montana Association of Teachers of English and Language Arts, which recognizes an outstanding English or Language Arts teacher each year based upon colleague nominations from across the state. A formal awards ceremony took place at Jake's Restaurant in Billings, and Sullivan will travel to the National Council of Teachers of English ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., for a Nov. 18 recognition luncheon.

Nov. 9

New logging

PacifiCorp offered a group of selected community members a tour of its logging operation along the north side of the Swan River Nature Trail on Thursday.

Approximately 400 acres of forested land is undergoing fuel reduction. The high fuel load and west-facing slopes along the river are just one lightning strike away from a catastrophic fire near Bigfork.

"This is a fulfillment of goals that were years in the planning," Jerry Roppe, environmental resources manager for PacifiCorp, said. "The goal of this operation is not to generate revenue, that is down the list. This addresses safety, wildlife and aesthetics."

Logging began about three weeks ago, and the completion date for the entire operation is scheduled for April. Access points to the trail are clearly marked with signs showing the dates of closure and safety warnings. The trail is closed Monday through Thursday every week. Logging trucks and heavy machinery are on the move throughout the area, and pedestrians who ignore the risk could find themselves in a dangerous situation.

Nov. 30

Hunting success

So much for a slow start.

After weeks of mild weather and tame results, the 2006 big game season finished with a bang on Sunday, especially for hunters in the Swan.

"It ended up being a very busy day," Tom Litchfield, a Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist said. "We checked 128 animals on Sunday, which is by far the best since I've been around. The previous best was 83 animals in a day."

Hunters recorded a 37 percent success rate on Sunday, which is almost unheard of.

All told, hunters throughout Region One in northwest Montana checked 1,938 whitetails - the highest number in a decade.

The elk harvest was down slightly, and the mule deer numbers were down 23 percent from last year.

"We started off on a slow note," Litchfield said. "We were lagging behind in hunters, but the success was high enough that we ended up surpassing last year. There were a lot of good, older bucks coming out."

Dec. 7

Pike pigging out

A recent scientific report estimates that Northern Pike are consuming almost 7,000 westslope cutthroat trout and 3,000 bull trout every year in the upper Flathead River.

Northern pike were illegally introduced into the Flathead River system in 1953. In the early 70s, pike were illegally introduced into the upper Flathead River drainage (above Kerr Dam) and became part of the sport fishery beginning in the 80s. Pike population peaked in the 80s along with record numbers of bull trout.

"Pike have ended up in these systems because they were spread illegally," Bruce Farling, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited, said. "Bucket biologists stuck them in rivers and lakes and other places we didn't want them. The pike then escaped to other waters and then spread."

Dec. 14

Felt fraud

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on Dec. 8, 2006, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, Myron "Mike" Kenneth Felt, a 77-year-old resident of Bigfork, appeared for sentencing. Felt was sentenced to a term of:

? Prison: 40 months

? Special Assessment: $200

? Restitution: $512,171

? Supervised Release: 3 years

Felt was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to wire fraud and money laundering.