Outdoor news
Film festival
The Flathead/Kootenai Chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association will present its annual film festival at the O’Shaughnessy, in Whitefish, on Friday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. and at the Teakettle Community Building, in Columbia Falls, on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 2 p.m. Eleven selections from more than 110 films in the 11th annual South Yuba River Citizens League Wild & Scenic Film Festival will be presented. The films focus on water and wildland conservation. Door prizes donated from local businesses will be given away. Food, beer, wine and soda will be available for purchase. The Montana Wilderness Association is the oldest statewide nonprofit conservation organization. Tickets are $10 at the door. For more information, visit online at www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org.
Avalanche workshop
The second annual Northern Rockies Avalanche Safety Workshop will take place at Grouse Mountain Lodge, in Whitefish, on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with avalanche professionals and backcountry recreationists. Six speakers will talk about forecasting, theory, information processing, emergency decision-making and other up-to-date information. Cost is $20 with pre-registration and $25 at the door. For more information, visit online at www.avalanchesafetyworkshop.com.
Forestry week
The Flathead National Forest, Montana Loggers Association, Montana Wood Products Association, Plum Creek and F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. will kick off Montana Forest Products Industry Week at the Western Building Center store in Columbia Falls on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be presentations industry and community leaders and local legislators, displays of local forest products and machinery, a free barbecue and giveaways.
Fish stocking
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently used surplus fish from the Jocko River State Fish Hatchery in Arlee and the Murray Springs State Fish Hatchery in Eureka to stock lakes and ponds across Northwest Montana. Among the sites, excess 5-inch rainbows were planted in Lion Lake and Lake Five, near West Glacier, and McGregor Lake and other water bodies in the Thompson Chain of Lakes. Fisheries manager Jim Vashro said FWP normally doesn’t do fall planting “because food is declining and survival of stocked fish isn’t as high, but these are bonus fish and the hatcheries need the space.”
Birding guide
The Flathead Audubon Society and its business partners recently published a “Birding Guide to Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana.” The free brochure is an expansion of their previous brochure, “Birding Hot Spots in the Flathead.” The updated glossy guide contains current birding information, bird photos, detailed directions, habitat and seasonal information, and a map showing trail areas, and will serve the increasing numbers of birders visiting the Flathead Valley each year. Two thousand copies were printed and are available at the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 offices, local hotels and Flathead Audubon’s monthly meetings.
Bad Rock raptors
Flathead Audubon will lead the first ever coordinated count of hawks, accipiters and eagles as they fly across Bad Rock Canyon on Sunday, Oct. 7. Observers will meet Kathy Ross at the House of Mystery fishing access site along U.S. 2 between noon and 4 p.m. If weather permits, observers will communicate to birders counting raptors at the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch site. For more information, call Ross at 837-3837. To volunteer with the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch any day in October, e-mail Dan Casey at dcasey@abcbirds.org or call 756-2681.
Wilderness fundraiser
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation will hold its annual Voices of the Wilderness fundraiser event at the Alpine Ballroom, 333 Main Street, in Kalispell, on Friday, Nov. 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. Guest speaker Doug Chadwick will talk about “Grizzly Bears of the Gobi Desert.” There will be a silent art auction. Tickets are $25 available online at www.bmwf.org or by calling 387-3808. Raffle tickets for a five night, guided horse packing trip in the wilderness donated by Swan Mountain Outfitters are $10 apiece. Proceeds will go to supporting Foundation trail projects. Patagonia recently pledged to support the Foundation’s trail maintenance work by sponsoring one trail project each year for the next five years.