OUTDOORS ROUNDUP: Star gazers gather Friday at Lone Pine
Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 9 years AGO
Have you ever seen meteor craters on the moon up close? Have you ever tried to count the moons circling Jupiter or seen the rings of Saturn?
Join Montana State Parks Friday night for an evening of observing the night sky through telescopes during the annual “Star Gazers” event at Lone Pine State Park.
This program is geared toward beginner sky watchers.
The event will begin at 9 p.m. with a PowerPoint presentation by Mark Paulson. When the sky gets dark, the group will move outside, where telescopes will be positioned to view celestial objects until 1 a.m.
Star Gazers is presented by the Big Sky Astronomy Club. The program costs $4 per person and is free for children 12 and under. For more information, call the park visitor center at (406) 755-2706 or visit stateparks.mt.gov/lone-pine.
Fire ecology in Scotchman Peaks
Art Zack, retired Forest Service fire ecologist, will lead a free guided field trip on Saturday to look at areas in the Scotchman Peaks that burned in 2015.
Hosted by the Montana Wilderness Association, the hike will take people to see the patterns of fire that burned across the Kootenai National Forest landscape, what was left behind, how the fire impacted the landscape and habitats and how suppression crews responded. Philip Hough will help guide the outing.
This walk will emphasize education over exercise, with some walking, but lots of stops to discuss fire, its behavior and its impacts. The round trip is six miles with minimal elevation gain.
For more information and to register, visit wildmontana.org and click “Flathead - Kootenai Chapter Wilderness Walks.”
Paddleboards also require life jackets
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is reminding stand-up paddleboarders that a life jacket is required to be on board, and children under 12 years of age must wear a life jacket while using a paddleboard.
The popularity of stand-up paddleboards has exploded in the past few years. However, the U.S. Coast Guard has determined that stand-up paddleboards are considered to be a vessel when used outside a marked swimming area, meaning state law applies for safety equipment.
And as with all watercraft, those transporting stand-up paddleboards must stop at inspection stations for aquatic endangered species.
Excursion scheduled to Geiger Lakes
Experience the relative solitude of the southern Cabinet Mountain Wilderness with the Montana Wilderness Association on Saturday.
The free guided hike will head to Geiger Lakes, where the group will lunch and fish in turquoise alpine waters. The outing leaves options open for the small group, including lower-lake fishing for rainbow and westslope cutthroat trout, upper-lake scenic views and a push up to Lost Buck Pass with stunning views toward the east and west Cabinets.
The hike is rated “moderately strenuous,” climbing 2,200 vertical feet over the eight-mile round trip. Brian Baxter and Amy Robinson will lead the group.
It also will offer a good opportunity to view mountain goats, bears, bighorn sheep and birds of prey.
The group will meet July 9 at 8 a.m. at the Kootenai Forest Supervisor’s Office in Libby, 31374 U.S. 2 West. The hike will wrap up around 5 p.m.
Participants should come prepared for a full day hike with plenty of water, fishing gear and a lunch. A camera and a grill or other device to cook fish may also come in handy.
To register, visit wildmontana.org, click “Flathead - Kootenai Chapter Wilderness Walks” and follow the instructions, or call Baxter at (406) 291-2154.
Fall turkey hunting applications available
Permit applications for hunters planning to pursue wild turkeys or sandhill cranes in Montana this fall are now available.
All turkey and sandhill crane permit applicants must have a 2016 state conservation license and a base hunting license, and must pay a $5 application fee.
Hunters can apply online, at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional offices or by mail.
Online applications are available at fwp.mt.gov under “Buy a License.” They must be submitted by July 28 at 11:30 p.m.
Those who prefer to apply by mail can download and print a mail-in paper form by visiting the agency’s website, clicking “Hunting” and then clicking “Licenses and Permits.”
Mail-in applications must be received by July 28 at 5 p.m. Mail applications to: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; License Section; P.O. Box 200701; Helena, MT 59620-0701.
Biking competitions on Big Mountain
The Whitefish Bike Park at Whitefish Mountain Resort will host several competitions this summer, including a stop on Montana’s Enduro Series for the second summer in a row.
The seven-week race series features three types of racing each week: a kids’ race, a cross-country race and an Enduro race.
The weekly series begins July 14 and ends Aug. 18.
The Enduro Pescado returns to the Whitefish Bike Park July 17. It is the third stop in the Montana Enduro Series.
Downhill riders can show off their skills with the Double Dip Downhill Sept. 10. New this summer, the Saddlesquatch will offer competitors and mountain bike fans a fun end-of-season event Sept. 24.
For more information, visit skiwhitefish.com/event.
Flathead Forest to open firewood gathering areas
The Flathead National Forest will open roads in two administrative use areas for personal use firewood collection from July 15 through Aug. 14.
This will allow temporary access for woodcutting on some roads that are normally closed to public motorized traffic:
• Rogers Lake, Gated roads 2986 and 2983 in the Swan Lake Ranger District: These roads provide access to both non-saw decked material as well as dead and standing trees. The road systems will open July 15 at 7 a.m. and close on August 15.
• Tepee Creek, Road 5399 in the Glacier View Ranger District: This road is bermed at the junction of Whale Creek Road/No. 318. It will open July 15 at noon and close on Aug. 15.
A Forest Service personal-use firewood permit allows woodcutters to harvest a minimum of four cords of firewood for $20. Permit holders must keep their permit with them while collecting wood and fill it out as required.
Standing or downed trees with paint or signs are not to be cut. These trees provide important habitat for many kinds of wildlife.
Clear the road surface and ditches of tree tops and limbs after cutting firewood and scatter or pile the material off of the roadway.
All vehicles must remain on the road surface.
The area will be monitored by Forest Service personnel. Resource damage, such as creating “stump roads” or the cutting down marked wildlife trees could lead the forest to discontinue these opportunities.
To be sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable woodcutting experience, people visiting the area should spread out, keep a lookout for other people and vehicles and keep the road open and passable for others.
Firewood permits and maps of woodcutting areas are available at the Swan Lake and Glacier View ranger stations, as well as the supervisor’s office in Kalispell.
Bear-proofing tips for homes and cabins
With part-time residents heading to the mountains for summer vacation, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is recommending several strategies to minimize the likelihood of encounters with resident grizzlies and black bears.
This time of year, bears are looking for any and all food sources as they wait for chokecherries, currants, buffalo berries and other natural foods to ripen, and unsecured garbage cans, the smell of pet food, bird feeders and dirty barbecue grills can lure them to populated areas and mountain cabins.
Bears that encounter unnatural food sources often have a hard time returning to their natural diets, and a food-conditioned bear may travel miles in search of a garbage can.
The state wildlife agency recommends to:
• Keep pet food secured inside a building or vehicle
• Clean dirty barbecue grills
• Take down bird feeders until the winter
• Ensure the compost pile is not laden with food scraps
• Keep garbage in bear-resistant containers or in a secure building until trash collection
To learn more about bear-proofing and systems such as bear-resistant garbage cans or electric fence kits, visit the Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional office in Kalispell, call (406) 752-5501 or visit the agency’s “Be Bear Aware” webpage at fwp.mt.gov.