OUTDOORS ROUNDUP: Hikers to venture out on new Dollar Lake trails

Guided hikes hosted by Whitefish Legacy Partners continue on the Whitefish Trail tonight.

Bruce Tannehill and Gail Cleveland of the Flathead Audubon Society will lead a walk on new trails around Dollar Lake.

Participants will learn bird songs and see the ducks, sparrows, woodpeckers, warblers and nuthatches that live in the area.

Tannehill is the Flathead Audubon treasurer and Cleveland, his wife, also is an avid bird expert.

Both novice and experienced birders and families are welcome on this free guided hike. Binoculars and spotting scopes will be provided, but dress for the weather and be prepared for a short walk on the trail.

Hikers will meet at the Dollar Lake Trailhead at 6 p.m. or the Grouse Mountain Lodge tennis courts at 5:30 p.m. to carpool to the trailhead.

For more information about this hike and other scheduled outings, visit www.whitefishlegacy.org, call (406) 862-3880 or email [email protected].

Sign up for Fishing Without Barriers trip

Slots are still available for the 23rd annual Fishing Without Barriers Day on Flathead Lake on June 16.

The event provides anglers with disabilities with free fishing trips on charter boats and other boats provided by volunteers. Anglers under 18 are especially encouraged to sign up.

The event is sponsored by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Crossing the Barriers Committee and the Montana Charter Boat Association. Hidden Harbor provides boat launching and Saddle Horn provides picnic facilities.

The event includes a special barbecue and a lake trout fish fry. There will also be lots of prizes.

To register, call Fish, Wildlife and Parks at (406) 752-5501.

Fee-free day in the Kootenai

Kootenai National Forest is offering a fee-free use day Saturday in celebration of Get Outdoors Day.

The free access day is intended to encourage people to become more active in their national forests and explore their natural surroundings.

Day-use areas, picnic grounds, developed trailheads and other forest amenities are free to use June 11. For more information, call the Supervisor’s Office at (406) 293-6211 or call any ranger district office.

Fight invasive weeds in Flathead Lake State Park

Montana State Parks invites the public to help Flathead Lake State Park staff by participating in invasive weed pulling events this summer.

In addition to helping the state control these plant pests, participants will learn about weed identification, why it’s important to control weeds and various control methods.

The weed pulls take place Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon at three park locations:

• June 11 — Wayfarers State Park’s Harry Horn Day Use Area, on the trail loop.

• June 25 — Yellow Bay State Park.

• July 9 — Finley Point State Park.

Bring water, work gloves, sunscreen and appropriate clothing for the weather. Trash bags and snacks will be provided.

For more information, call (406) 214-4823.

Workshop teaches women fly fishing skills

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will host an introductory fly fishing workshop for women at Snappy Sport Senter in Evergreen on Saturday.

Offered through the Becoming an Outdoorswoman program, the workshop will cover the basics of selecting gear and tackle, basic fly patterns, fly tying, fishing knots, reading fishing water and safety.

The class, taught by Stacey Dolan, Kim Short and Jim Vashro, will conclude with fly casting and fly fishing in Snappy’s Pond.

The program will run from 8:30 a.m. to about 4 p.m. and costs $15 for materials and lunch.

Women may bring their own fly rods or use those provided.

The workshop is limited to 20 women and pre-registration is required by calling Liz Lodman at (406)444-9940.

Wilderness group offers two hikes

The Montana Wilderness Association is hosting a pair of free group hikes Saturday.

A hike into the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness originally planned for Granite Lake Trail has been changed after a portion of the route was closed due to unsafe conditions after last year’s fires.

The group will instead head to Cedar Lakes, accessible by a five-mile trail with 3,200 feet of elevation gain.

For more information and meet times, visit www.wildmontana.org/walks or call Ashley South at (406) 291-2708.

A separate hike in the Kootenai Forest will explore sites burned by last year’s Bull River fires.

Brian Baxter and Amy Robinson will lead the three-mile hike, rated “easy.” Bring water, a lunch and hiking boots.

The group will be joined by experienced fire specialists who will discuss the weather and forest fuel loads that contributed to ignitions, types of burns, fire-fighting strategies, post-fire treatment plans and the effects of fire on wildlife populations.

The Montana Wilderness Association organizes hikes throughout the summer as part of its “Wilderness Walks” summer program. To register or to view the full 2016 schedule, visit www.wildmontana.org/walks.

Audubon offers loon watching

Flathead Audubon Society and the Tally Lake/Kalispell West Loon Ranger from Fish, Wildlife and Parks is inviting birders to see recently hatched chicks and adult common loons at several local nesting lakes on Sunday.

Actual destinations will depend on the timing and success of this year’s loon hatch.

The trip is ideal for families and people of all ages. Walking may be necessary for short distances, down hills or on trails to observation points. The Loon Ranger intern will provide a spotting scope and information about Northwest Montana’s loons, their behaviors and interactions, the result of years of banding efforts and other little-known facts about our local loons.

Bring a lunch, binoculars and clothing appropriate for the weather.

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the state wildlife agency’s Kalispell office, 490 North Meridian Road. The group will return between 12:30 and 2 p.m.

To sign up or for more information, contact Shannan Reichenberg at (406) 758-3534 or by email at [email protected].

Olympic shooter to help teach gun safety in Kalispell

Kalispell’s Jamie Corkish, a professional shooting athlete and Olympic gold medalist, will be present at a special public event on Wednesday to encourage safe shooting practices.

Local law enforcement agencies are teaming up with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Professional Outdoor Media Association to host the event, which will also feature Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson.

Free firearms safety kits, including a gun lock and safety information, will be provided to attendees. Law enforcement representatives from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Kalispell Police Department will demonstrate how to properly install the locks on various firearms.

The free event will begin June 15 at 1 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel and Convention Center in Kalispell.

For more information, contact Lauren Cohen at (202) 478-3729 or by email at [email protected].

Wildlife agency rules out for public review

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is requesting public input on several items recently approved by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The rules may be adopted as final by the commission during its July 14 meeting in Helena.

Proposed rules include:

• 2016 Non-game Check-off Work Plan.

• 2016 Hunting access agreements under Senate Bill 454.

• 2016 Fall upland game bird quotas and limits.

• 2016-17 Furbearer seasons and 2016 quotas, including changes in trapping setbacks and the fisher quota.

• 2016 Wolf hunting seasons, quotas under Senate Bill 200 and hunting district boundaries.

• 2016 Grizzly Bear Tri-State Memorandum of Agreement.

• 2016 Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Grizzly Bear hunting regulation framework.

To view the proposed rules or to comment, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunting.

To view the proposed rules, view supporting information or comment online, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunting.

Public comments must be submitted by June 18 at 5 p.m.

Outdoor writers gathering at Kalispell event

Conservationist and author Shane Mahoney will be the keynote speaker at the 11th Annual Professional Outdoor Media Association’s Annual Business Conference, June 15-18 in Kalispell.

Mahoney will speak during the opening night dinner about how outdoor writers can best communicate conservation topics in the 21st century.

The conference includes discussions on animal welfare, the economic impact of hunting, social conflicts between hunters and non-hunters, conservation ethics, ecology and a host of other topics.

For more information, visit professionaloutdoormedia.org.

New geotourism display coming to West Glacier

The official grand reopening of West Glacier’s newest attraction, the Crown of the Continent geotourism displays, is June 16.

Residents and visitors are invited to attend the opening party from 5 to 7 p.m. at 12000 U.S. 2 in West Glacier.

The festivities include prizes, gourmet appetizers, local beer and cocktails.

As the only brick and mortar presence associated with National Geographic’s Crown of the Continent project, the Discovery Center represents the final piece of the puzzle to tell the whole story of the Crown of the Continent region.

The event is sponsored by Glacier Guides and Montana Raft Co. along with the Columbia Falls and Whitefish chambers of commerce.

Refreshments include appetizers from Earth Angel Organics and La Casita, ice cream, beer and margaritas.

For more information, visit www.crowndiscoverycenter.com.

Wildflower walk on Whitefish Trail

Whitefish Legacy Partners will lead a hike June 16 that meanders through the forested Lion Mountain to learn about the array of colorful wildflowers lining the Whitefish Trail.

Participants will learn to identify local flowers using hand lenses and field guides provided during the hike.

Registration for the free event is not required, but those attending should dress for the weather and expect a one- to two-mile hike.

The group will meet at the Lion Mountain Trailhead at 6 p.m.

For more information about this hike and other scheduled outings, visit www.whitefishlegacy.org, call (406) 862-3880 or email [email protected].

Tribal officials recommend bear spray for outdoor recreation

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Natural Resource Department is urging outdoor recreationists to choose bear spray over firearms as a deterrent this summer.

Most cases of a surprise human bear encounters where a charging bear is shot resulted in an attack and the hunter was badly hurt, according to a press release from the agency.

Law enforcement investigations indicate that people encountering grizzly bears and defending themselves with firearms suffer injury about 50 percent of the time, while those using bear spray escaped injury most of the time, or experienced shorter attacks and less severe injuries.

Stacy Courville, tribal bear biologist, says that people can minimize their risk of a surprise bear encounter by traveling in groups in the backcountry, making noise and carrying and knowing how to use bear spray.

She also recommends remain aware of their surroundings, and consider that most people become tired or distracted toward the end of a long hike.

Bear spray should be kept accessible, as a surprise encounter is unlikely to provide time to dig the canister out of a pack.

For more information on bear spray and how to use it contact Germaine White at [email protected] or call 675-2700, ext. 7299.