Community briefs Aug. 22

Bag sale

The Soroptimist Thrift Haus will hold a back-to-school bag sale from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25 at the store, 303 First St. in Whitefish. Fill a plastic grocery bag for $5.

All proceeds will be donated to local nonprofits with a focus on the Soroptimist mission of improving the lives of women and girls.

Hunter Education

Registration is open for hunter education courses across the Flathead Valley.

Courses are frequently held in the fall and springtime. Registration is available online at fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter.

A parent or guardian must accompany students under 18 to the first class. Students are required to pick up materials and complete the course manual before the first night of class. A student must be at least 10 years old to register. There is no maximum age limit. Classroom courses are free and anyone is welcome to take the course, especially parents who want to accompany their child. Students must attend all the classroom sessions, field course, and pass a final exam to become certified.

To purchase a Montana hunting license, any person born after Jan. 1, 1985, must show a certificate of completing a hunter education course issued by Montana, any other state, or any Canadian province.

Hunter education classroom curses in Kalispell is Sept. 7, Whitefish is Sept. 7 and in Columbia Falls is Sept. 10. Hunter education online field days are in Kalispell on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28.

For more information, visit fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter.

Audubon

Due to recent fire conditions the Aug. 25 Flathead Audubon and Montana Audubon “Wetlands Wanderings” hike will be rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13 at 9 a.m., meeting at the Montessori School on Willow Glen Road. Participants will meander the riparian corridors of the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area listening and scoping for birds of prey, waterfowl, woodpeckers, and songbirds. Sign up with Brian Baxter of Silver Cloud Associates Outdoor Education Programs at: b_baxter53@yahoo.com, or call 406-291-2154.

Car seat check

The Whitefish Fire Department is holding a free car seat check/clinic on Aug. 25 at the Emergency Services Center at 275 Flathead Drive. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop by and have car seats checked by technicians to ensure they are installed safely and correctly. This is a time to ask questions, receive safety tips, and meet the Whitefish firefighters. For more information, call 863-2483

Art

Join this fun, facilitated evening of art-making just for the ladies during Stumptown Art Studio’s Wild Women Wednesday on Aug. 22. Bring your own refreshments. For more information, call 862-5929 or visit www.stumptownartstudio.org

Highway 93 plan

The city of Whitefish is holding an open house kick-off for the U.S. Highway 93 South corridor plan on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 5-7 p.m. at National Parks Realty, 601 Spokane Avenue. The purpose of the open house is to provide information and invite the public to help identify issues, concerns, and opportunities for improvement.

Snow lot housing

The city of Whitefish is holding a kickoff meeting to discuss constructing an affordable housing project on the city’s snow lot on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The city is working with the nonprofit Homeword as it looks to develop the lot, named because the city stores snow there removed from downtown, is at the corner of Columbia Avenue and Railway Street.

Blood drive

Flathead Electric Cooperative is seeking those who would consider making an appointment to donate a pint of blood during their Pulse Project event, scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14, at the Co-op. The Pulse Project was designed to support the community by achieving two goals: providing energy assistance for members in need and holding the largest American Red Cross Blood Drive in Montana history, to meet the critical shortage of blood. To succeed in holding this historic event, 50 more registered blood donors are needed for the drive.

In addition to enabling Flathead Electric to assist members of our community and providing a life-saving service, blood donors will also enjoy breakfast or lunch from the Chicas Blancas food truck, as well as Cold Stone Creamery ice cream at the event. All first time blood donors will also receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

The Co-op is also collecting pledges from businesses and individuals based on the number of pints of blood donated during the event. These funds will be used to provide energy assistance to Flathead Electric members who are experiencing a temporary financial crisis due to unexpected life circumstances.

For more information or to support the project, call 751-1820 or visit www.flatheadelectric.com/pulseproject.

AIS Council

The Montana Invasive Species Council will host an invasive species listening sessions on Tuesday, Sept. 11 in Kalispell from 5-8 p.m. at the Homewood Suites, 195 Hutton Ranch Road. The listening session will be focused on the findings of a recent invasive species law review, which will also support the upcoming Montana Invasive Species Summit to be held in Helena Nov. 15-16.

While interested organizations, stakeholders and citizens are encouraged to attend the listening session in person, an online survey is also available. The online survey will cover the major themes coming out of the invasive species law review, and the questions will be similar to the discussion topics held at the listening sessions. The online survey is now available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MISCsurvey2018

The listening session is designed to allow the people of Montana to express their comments and concerns regarding current invasive species programmatic and regulatory topics such as the concept of an all-taxa invasive species list, the management of aquatic invasive plants, regulations and enforcement, and funding.

The responses collected from the listening sessions and online surveys will aid in the planning and development of the Montana Invasive Species Summit. The Summit will feature a series of panels focused on topics related to the findings of the law review, with the objective of gaining clarity on current rules, and moving forward with solutions and means of enhancing the prevention and management of invasive species in Montana.

For more information, visit the MISC website at http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/cardd/montana-invasive-species-program/misc.

Dragon Boats

This year’s Montana Dragon Boat Festival is slated for Sept. 8-9 at Volunteer Park in Lakeside. Spectators are welcome and the festival includes live music, craft beer and local food trucks, as well as the opportunity to cheer on teams from around North America, including three breast cancer survivor teams from Montana and California. Plus, entrance to the Montana Dragon Boat Festival is free.

To learn more about the Montana Dragon Boat Festival, visit www.MontanaDragonBoat.com.