The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a brown-bag luncheon presentation Tuesday by artist and National Park poster historian Doug Leen.

The Works Progress Administration’s Poster Art of the National Parks program focuses on a poster series on national parks produced from 1938 to 1941. Only 14 commissioned posters were produced before World War II ended the project.

Of the 1,400 posters printed, about 40 have survived — two of which will be on display. One of the posters features Glacier National Park.

Early in his park career, “Ranger Doug” Leen found a national park poster during a park cleanup day, rescuing it from a burn pile. After a 20-year search, he discovered the remnants of this unique poster art in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, but only in poor quality, black-and-white negatives.

Using photographs and the original poster as a template, he republished 14 silk-screen prints.

The laborious project took about five years and cost about $150,000, which Leen funded by poster sales.

The luncheon will take place from noon to 1 p.m. at the park’s community building in West Glacier.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Margie Steigerwald at (406) 888-5838 or Tim Rains at (406) 888-7895.

Weed-pulling rodeo planned Friday

The 14th annual noxious weed pulling rodeo on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River will take place Friday.

Montana Raft Co., Wild River Adventures, Glacier Raft Co. and Great Northern Raft Co. will bringing boatloads of volunteers down the river for a full day of floating and weed pulling. They will send rafts on both whitewater and scenic sections of the river.

Snacks and trash bags will be provided. Noxious weed experts will accompany each group.

Participants should bring sack lunches and leather gloves.

All groups will meet at Wild River Adventures later in the afternoon for a free barbecue.

Prizes will be given to all participants.

Participants can sign up by calling Wild River Adventures at (406) 387-9453.

State decals needed on all watercraft

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reminds motorboat, sailboat or personal watercraft owners that they must have the Montana Boat Validation decals properly displayed on their watercraft.

Boaters who have permanently registered their vessels must obtain two free boat validation decals every three years at the agency’s regional offices or by visiting fwp.mt.gov and clicking “Boat Validation Decals.”

Boat owners who order decals online will receive the decals in the mail. Information included on a current boat registration receipt issued by the county treasurer is needed to obtain them.

For new boat owners, the county treasurer’s office will provide the first set of validation decals when the watercraft is registered.

The decals are free and are valid for three years. The current blue validation decals will expire Feb. 28, 2017. For more information, call (406) 444-2535.

Plein air artists invited to join Kootenai hike

Join plein air artists for a Saturday hike into wild and scenic settings of the Kootenai National Forest while laying the groundwork for your next plein air piece.

Brian Baxter and Ashley South will lead the short easy hike sponsored by the Montana Wilderness Association.

Local artists will help coach participants in a variety of media, including pen and ink, charcoal and watercolors.

Participants should come prepared to bring their own art supplies and easels several hundred feet into field sites.

Bring water, lunch and good footwear.

To register or to find more information, visit wildmontana.org, click on “Wilderness Walks,” “Flathead/Kootenai Chapter hikes” and look up the hike by date and title.

Wilderness group sponsors hike to Yaak lookout

The Montana Wilderness Association is leading a free hike to a historic lookout tower in the heart of the Yaak Valley on Sunday.

Hikers will be treated to views of the biologically diverse, rolling, roadless terrain that is home to grizzlies, lynx, wolverines, elk, moose and fishers, along with countless other plants and animals.

The hike up Mount Henry is rated “moderate to strenuous,” gaining 2,000 feet over 4.5 miles.

Jessie Grossman and Ashley South will lead the hike.

To register or to find more information, visit wildmontana.org, click on “Wilderness Walks”, “Flathead/Kootenai Chapter hikes” and look up the hike by date and title.

Licenses may be donated to disabled veterans

Montana residents and nonresidents can show support for members of the military by donating their hunting license to a disabled military veteran or disabled active-duty service member.

The disabled veteran or active armed forces member who receives the donated hunting license must work with an organization that uses hunting as part of the rehabilitation process.

While donors can’t choose the organization to receive the license, the disabled veteran or armed forces member who receives the license must be a Purple Heart recipient and have a 70 percent or greater disability rating.

Each license must be donated or surrendered before the beginning of the hunting season.

For more information on Montana’s disabled veterans hunting license donation program, visit fwp.mt.gov, click “Hunting” and then click “Licenses & Permits.”

Take a hike, learn photo techniques

Bring your camera out to the Whitefish Trail on Thursday, July 30, to learn about basic camera settings, exposure, aperture and many more photographic techniques.

Whitefish Legacy Partners will host a hike to explore the old-growth forest and sweeping views of the Whitefish Range at Swift Creek while capturing powerful images along the way.

Pete Siudara, a local professional photographer, will lead the hike.

Participants should dress for the weather and expect a 1.5-mile hike. Meet at the Swift Creek trailhead at 6 p.m.

For more information, contact Alan Myers-Davis at (406) 862.3880 or by email at alan@whitefishlegacy.org.

New requirements in place for boat owners in state

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has announced new requirements for boat owners to help in the state’s fight against the spread of aquatic invasive species, including quagga and zebra mussels.

Both species of mussels can exist in standing water and can be nearly invisible to the naked eye.

So even if you can’t see mussels, you could still transfer them into Montana waters by transporting infected water from other states.

Boaters are now required to clean all vegetation from their vessels after removing them from any surface water and before leaving the boat launch site.

Drain plugs, valves or any other devices to prevent water from draining out of bilges or live wells must be removed before leaving the boat launch site.

If the vessel doesn’t have a plug, reasonable measures must be made to dry or drain all compartments or spaces that hold water.

Conservation Corps gets federal grant for trail work

Montana Conservation Corps is getting a $34,000 cooperative agreement grant for trail maintenance in Glacier National Park, the National Park Service announced Tuesday.

The project is designed to generate inclusion into the community and provide education on natural resource protection.

Montana Conservation Corps members will work with the park’s revegetation crew on a variety of projects on the west and east sides of Glacier National Park, including plantings along Going-to-the-Sun Road, whitebark and limber pine planting and other resource management projects.

Additional activities will include assistance with nursery closing, seed collection and nursery maintenance activities at park headquarters.

Hike planned into Klatawa Fire area

On July 2, Montana Wilderness Association is sponsoring a free guided hike into the Klatawa Fire area just outside Libby.

This hike is rated “strenuous,” with an elevation gain of 2,300 feet over about five miles.

Hikers will explore the Klatawa Fire that covered about 5,000 acres last year.

The fire was allowed to play its natural ecological role with no direct suppression from Aug. 14 to Oct. 20, 2015. It burned under myriad conditions and fire intensities.

Jon Jeresek and Paul Leimbach, both of whom have impressive fire experience, will lead the hike. Topics of discussion will include the after-effects of the fire and the ridgetop hike will provide stunning views of the surrounding landscapes.

Bring a lunch, water and good hiking boots.

The group will meet at the Town Pump in Libby, 1315 Minnesota Ave., at 9 a.m.

To register, visit wildmontana.org, click on “Wilderness Walks,” “Flathead/Kootenai Chapter hikes” and look up the hike by date and title.

For more information, contact Ashley South at asouth@wildmontana.org.

Cruise Flathead Lake, help Biological Station

The University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station is hosting a fundraising research cruise on the lake next month.

Biological Station researchers will be aboard to discuss their ecological and water quality research while plying the waters of the largest natural body of freshwater west of the Mississippi.

Tickets for the research cruise cost $50 and include appetizers and beverages, with benefits supporting research and monitoring work in the Flathead.

The cruise takes place July 12 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The boat will depart from Flathead Lake Boat Tours at the Lakeside Marina.

Seats are limited, so reserve a spot by sending an RSVP email to Tom.Bansak@umontana.edu or calling (406) 982-3301, extension 229.

For more information about the biological station, visit www.flbs.umt.edu.

Special fishing day features a total of 40 anglers

Forty anglers with disabilities participated in the 23rd annual Fishing Without Barriers Day on Flathead Lake last Thursday.

Anglers fished from boats out on the lake and from the shore at Saddle Horn Resort.

The anglers caught a total of 26 lake trout, with the largest measuring 29 inches.

Anglers from 5 to 82 years of age hailed from the upper Flathead Valley, Kalispell, Polson, Ronan, Libby and as far away as Anaconda and Idaho.

Boat captains volunteered their day for the event and took anglers out on charter boats and private vessels.

About 125 anglers, helpers and family members enjoyed their catch at a fish fry after the event while a western band provided music.

Fishing Without Barriers Day is held annually to provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to get out on Flathead Lake and enjoy fishing with the experts. For many of the anglers, it is their only fishing experience for the year.

The Fish, Wildlife and Parks Crossing the Barriers Committee coordinated the event, assisted by state game wardens, fisheries biologists and volunteers.