Bike path comes alive for Earth Day

PABLO - Families from across the valley revved up the motors they were born with, then used those legs to pedal their bikes in a loop to Polson or Ronan and back to the Joe McDonald Event Center for a home grown barbecue in Pablo on Saturday.

The community celebration of Earth Day was dubbed “Bike Path Appreciation Day,” and there were no shortage of happenings for folks to enjoy.

Organization was multi-pronged - a combined effort of the Ronan Parks and Recreation Department, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Health and Education Department and the Ronan schools - and was made possible by the volunteer efforts of many other people and organizations.

The effort united groups from Ronan, Pablo and Polson to get an estimated 300 people on the bike path, Ronan Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Rolfsness said.

“Turn all of your lights out at home so you can get out here,” was the message, Rolfsness said.

The community responded beautifully to the collaborated effort, she said.

“This was the best cohesion of things that could happen. That’s what’s amazing - all of these groups uniting together,” Rolfness said. 

Tribal health provided more than 200 helmets for the bikers, and children and adults alike swarmed to receive one before the ride began, CSKT’s Health Education and Fitness Manager Margene Asay said. CSKT also arranged a “Bike Rodeo,” a safety course for young bikers to learn the rules of the road, with instruction from Tribal health employees and volunteers.

The participants zipped to and fro through cones and past traffic signs while the instructors stood by to coach them. The bigger ride took place on the bicycle/walking path between Ronan and Polson, a trail the groups behind the event are grateful for and still looking to expand.

“Our big thing was we wanted to do right by the Montana Department of Transportation and say “thank you” for the bike paths and show how many here appreciate that,” Asay said.

The helmet giveaways were complimented by a variety of other freebies along the trail, all selected with Earth Day in mind.

“We didn’t want give any paper waste out,” Rolfsness said. “We wanted to give away things that could be reused or recycled.”

The items included backpacks, bike reflectors, pencils, lanyards, water bottles and books on tobacco prevention and bike safety.

Each route had a few checkpoints for bikers to get their passports stamped. The passports were designed and issued by students of Pablo Elementary School and stamped passports were good for a free “Made in Montana” lunch back at SKC.

SKC’s Food for College provided the meal with meat, veggies and bread purchased or donated locally.

Ronan schools’ Prevention Specialist Janet Sucha fronted the effort from the schools end. She said the organizers measured the success of the event by attendance.

“It’s just fun to see so many community members here, kids on the path and getting food,” she said. “It promoted healthy living, exercise, being together as a family and a community,” she said.

Representatives from the Jocko Valley Trails Committee were in attendance, with a petition and a dream of expanding bike trails first to Arlee, then to the point where they reach from Yellowstone National Park to Glacier.

Donated bikes and volunteer bike mechanics Frank Sucha, Chris Curry, Thomas Trickel and Matt Seeley were on hand to keep everyone on two wheels.

“We like bikes,” Frank said. “We just said, ‘Hey if you guys have this bike path thing, we’ll help.’”

Community members were lined up at 9:30 a.m.

Other groups that sponsored the event included the Lake County Health Department, the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program, the Lake County Coalition for Kids/Family Matters, Tribal Truancy, Food and Fitness and Safe Routes to School.

Cub Scout group teams up to clean up

POLSON — There is an ancient Native American proverb that states “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” In that case, the young members of Polson Cub Scout Pack 4947 took matters into their own hands on April 22, recycling and cleaning up trash from the Kerr Dam Overlook amongst other Earth Day activities.

A dozen local scouts learned about cleaning up the environment, energy conservation, and waste management when they ventured on an educational Earth Day field trip to the Lake County Landfill, Kerr Dam Overlook and Generating Station, and the Lake County Transfer Station.

In the mid-day heat, the youngsters arrived at the Kerr Dam Overlook, slapped on some sunscreen and bug spray, and with gloves on and trash bags in hand they took to scouring the scenic site for rampant litter.

 After a thorough cleaning, the cub scouts hiked down the Kerr Dam pedestrian path to get a closer look at Lake County’s energy and water conservation hub.

Assistant Cubmaster Christi Buffington asked the bunch what the dam was used for, to which six-year-old Daniel Leas replied, “Electricity!”

Scouts cleaned up trash along the sides of the Overlook path on their ascent back up the steps, before enjoying a much-deserved water bottle and snack break at the summit.

The group finished out the day with a trip to the transfer station, where they weighed, separated from garbage, and recorded data on recyclables they had recently gathered at a school recycling drive.

According to Buffington, the boys collected 70 pounds of recyclables from school teachers and families, as well as 38 pounds of trash from the overlook expedition.

“The objective of trips like this is to get the kids outside, but also the boys need to be citizens in their community and learn what that means for them,” Buffington said.