East side road opens

The Flathead National Forest finished plowing snow earlier than expected on the Eastside Hungry Horse Reservoir Road, Forest Road No. 38. The road is now open to mile marker 38, the Spotted Bear Ranger District boundary. The mile marker 38 gate is scheduled to open May 15, which is Tuesday.  For more information please contact the Hungry Horse District Office at 387-3800. 

Flathead National Forest campgrounds start opening this weekend.  Big Creek, Emery Bay, Holland Lake, Swan Lake, and Tally Lake Campgrounds and the Doris Point Boat Launch will open to the public Friday. These campgrounds and recreation areas are operated by the forest concessionaire, Big Sky Recreation. Forest campers and visitors are reminded that by law all food and food-related items must be stored in a bear-resistant manner. The Flathead National Forest is home to grizzly and black bears, and responsible human actions will help with unwanted bear encounters. Campers are also reminded to be careful with fire. Never leave a fire unattended and be sure the fire is “dead out” before leaving.

For more information about campgrounds and food storage regulations on the Flathead National Forest, contact a local forest service office or visit www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead.

Bison meeting

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is hosting a public meeting in Kalispell on May 15 at the Red Lion Inn at 20 N. Main Street to discuss bison management. The meeting runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and is part of a first step toward developing a long-term bison conservation and management plan for the state. The bison management plan will be developed through a 3-year environmental analysis which will address issues associated with bison and options for their long-term management as a Montana wildlife species. FWP will begin a formal public “scoping” process as required under the Montana Environmental Policy Act. Public scoping is aimed at identifying issues, impacts, public concerns, and conservation challenges and opportunities. The comments will assist FWP in further identifying issues and developing possible alternatives. For detailed information, including research leading this stage of bison management, log onto fwp.mt.gov. Under ‘For Fish & Wildlife Information’ choose “Bison Background.”

Loon volunteers

The Montana Loon Society and the Montana Common Loon Working Group need volunteers to help observe and count loons on lakes throughout Northwest Montana on Saturday, July 14, Loon Day. For areas west of Kalispell, call Gael Bissell at 751-4580; for the Tally/Stillwater area, call Laura Holmquist at 758-3501; for West Flathead Valley and Upper Whitefish Lake, call Chris Forestall at 751-2258; and for Glacier National Park, call Jamie Belt at 888-7986.