A Trail Runs Through It
Whitefish Trails Move Forward
David Noftsinger of Forestation, Inc., describes the trail, which is marked by flagging. --Becky Lomax, for the Beacon
On Lion Mountain, a line of orange and blue flagging leads off into a bramble of brush and criss-crossed downed timber. The flagging cuts across private land, national forest, and state lands. Five miles west, the flagged route pops out onto a spur connecting with Two Bear Road and continues on several more miles to Beaver Lake.
"It's a really walkable and rideable trail," says David Noftsinger, a partner in Forestation, Inc., a subcontractor responsible for designing the path for A Trail Runs Through It. Forestation is part of the bigger design team of local engineers, landscape architects, water quality specialists, and botanists working on the trail. Together, the design team, the City of Whitefish, and Flathead Gateway Partners plan an open house for the public to learn about trail system updates and give comments.
Industry is one of state’s biggest employers
Nonprofit Funding Dries up on Federal, Local Levels
Kellie VanBrunt, left, gets to know Chris Hamilton during the first meeting of a leadership core group at Evergreen Junior High School. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
The nonprofit industry, one of the biggest employers in Montana, is watching major funding sources dry up, partly due to the nation’s economic slowdown, and is preparing for an even larger fallout in the upcoming months and year.
In the Flathead, Susan Christofferson, director of the Nurturing Center, said she has rarely seen such dire economic times for nonprofits in her 30 years in the industry. When she applies for grants today, she is regularly told there’s not enough money to go around. At the same time, her organization’s services are in higher demand.
Kalispell and Whitefish City Councils
On the Agenda: Emergency Services Center, Valley Ranch PUD
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At a 5:30 p.m. work session held tonight at City Hall, the Whitefish City Council will get its initial look at the design plans for the city’s new emergency services center, which will house the city courts, police department and fire department along Baker Avenue. Then at its regularly scheduled 7:10 p.m. public meeting, the council will discuss text amendments to the critical areas ordinance clarifying its application to existing lots.
At a work session following tonight’s formal Kalispell City Council meeting at 7 p.m., the planning department will present a proposed planned unit development (PUD) for the Valley Ranch subdivision, an 80-acre development on the east side of U.S. Highway 93, about a mile and a half north of the intersection of West Reserve Drive.
Wild River Pioneers
FWP Spokesman Unearths the Middle Fork’s Colorful Past
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John Fraley looked out from the bank of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River where Charles Black allegedly washed blood from his hands, wondering how the violent murder happened, and where the body of the dead mother of three lay.
It was 100 years ago to the day of Lena Cunningham’s murder in 1894, and six years after Fraley started chasing ghosts. Well into his second book, “Wild River Pioneers,” Fraley, who lives in Kalispell and is Northwest Montana’s regional information officer for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, had set out to tell the stories of the pioneers who settled the Middle Fork drainage, often following them to their graves.
Stumptown Ice Den
Ice Rink Opens For Season
File photo. --Becky Lomax, for the Beacon
The Zamboni circled the ice yesterday, buffing out the surface for the season opening of Stumptown Ice Den today. But it wasn't the same old Zamboni. "It's brand, spanking new, just delivered two days ago," says Andy Hergesheimer, who manages the rink. "It's like moving up from a Datsun to a Cadillac."
Along with a new Zamboni, the ice rink purchased all new rental skates. "We spent lots of dollars on comfy, cushy skates," says Hergesheimer, adding that skaters should come check them out for themselves.
County Election Officials Prepare for Every Contingency
High Turnout, Early Voting Could Make for Unpredictable Election Day
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In the face of a hotly contested presidential race, Flathead County election officials are anticipating and preparing for record turnout at the polls. At a meeting of the election task board last week, Flathead County Election Administrator, and Clerk and Recorder Paula Robinson told the gathering of election volunteers, candidates and media the county has 56,890 registered voters as of Sept. 23.
With late registration extending all the way to Election Day, Nov. 4, that number could climb higher in coming weeks as the campaigns enter the home stretch in earnest and efforts to get out the vote intensify.
With stagnant funding, districts push for state to share costs
Schools Adapt to Autism Increase
Missy Ueland encourages Ian to vocalize while reading a book on dinosaurs during class at the Communications Center in Kalispell. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
Like most 5-year-olds, Ian tests his boundaries, waiting for his teacher to be distracted to coyly make a move for the door. He’s bright, observant and expressive. But Ian, who is diagnosed with a form of autism, is hyper and doesn’t yet communicate with words. Prone to outbursts and sometimes biting his hands or other objects, he requires constant one-on-one attention in the classroom.
[read more]Heli-Skiing on State Lands
Valhalla Adventures Seeks Expansion
Valhalla Adventures entices those seeking uncut, deep powder. Now, the cat-ski operation is seeking to expand into the heli-skiing business.
Fred Dietrich, owner of Valhalla Adventures, applied to the Stillwater Unit of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation for a permit to run heli-skiing in conjunction with his cat-ski operation on Stryker Ridge outside Olney. "It'll be an experimental thing this winter if it happens," says Dietrich. The DNRC is collecting public comment on the proposal.
"The state is mandated to make money with the land every year, and I pay five percent of the total gross to the state for the school fund," says Dietrich. "I think this is a fairly sustainable and eco way of making money on a regular basis."
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