Spencer recreation license up next

Happy New Year. Thanks for a great 2012 — we appreciate all of the support as we continued to break new ground on trails and accomplished our conservation goals for public access and recreation on the state lands surrounding our fine town. We couldn’t do it without all our new “Whitefish Trail Friends.”  

The state land board approved the DNRC timber sale on Spencer Mountain at their December meeting, illustrating how traditional revenue sources and the new recreation economy can be accomplished simultaneously if we work together. Next on our agenda is designating the recreation use and trails on Spencer Mountain, along with updating the recreation licenses for the Lupfer and Swift Creek sections of the Whitefish Trail. The land use licenses for Spencer, Lupfer, and Swift Creek areas will come before city council in February.

Now let’s go out and play! The Whitefish Legacy Partners, Stillwater Mountain Lodge and Sportsman & Ski Haus, have teamed up with national and local sponsors to offer complimentary introduction to winter sports on the 18th annual Winter Trails Day, Jan. 12. Winter Trails Day is a national event offering the public free snowshoeing and cross country skiing. These winter sports are easy to learn and fun for all ages making them perfect activities for family winter fun. The event will be held from 10 a.m – 2 p.m. at Stillwater Mountain Lodge on Beaver Lake Road north of Whitefish.

We are excited by our accomplishments in 2012 and look forward to continuing our momentum in 2013. Thanks again to our community, volunteers, corporate sponsors, conservation hero Mike Goguen, trail friends, and our partners City of Whitefish, Montana DNRC, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Flathead County, US Forest Service, Flathead Land Trust, and private landowners for the great collaboration.

It’s ON the Whitefish Trail because of you.

— Lisa Jones and Heidi Van Everen