OUTDOORS ROUNDUP: Youth archery class offered at Lone Pine Park

Montana State Parks will host Kids Archery 101 at Lone Pine State Park today from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The class is designed for beginning archers, ages 7 to 12. No prior knowledge or experience is necessary.

The course will discuss equipment, bow types and techniques and includes plenty of practice time. All equipment will be supplied, but participants may bring their own bows.

The class costs $10 per student, and registration is required.

For more information or to register, call the park visitor center at (406) 755-2706, extension 2, or visit stateparks.mt.gov/lone-pine.

Corps offers Expedition Program

Youth aged 15 to 17 can now sign up for the Montana Conservation Corps Expedition Program, taking place from July 17 to Aug. 12.

Members will learn about the outdoors, leadership, work ethic, environmental stewardship and teamwork while working on conservation projects throughout Northwest Montana.

Upon completion of the program, participants receive a $200 service award, 160 hours of community service credit and an Americorps Education Award valued at $350.

For more information, contact Carolan Coughlin at (406) 755-8089 or by email [email protected].

No fireworks at state fishing access sites

Visiting a Montana fishing access site on the Fourth of July weekend is a great idea, but leave the fireworks at home.

Fire season in Montana is already underway in many parts of the state and anglers headed to state-owned fishing sites share the responsibility to be careful with any potential sources of ignition.

Fireworks are illegal at all Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sites, including fishing access sites and wildlife management areas.

Anyone using fireworks on Fish, Wildlife and Parks land may be charged with a misdemeanor and could be fined up to $500.

Smith’s stores join fundraiser for Conservancy

Glacier National Park Conservancy announced that for the eighth consecutive year, Smith’s Food & Drug grocery stores in Columbia Falls and Kalispell are participating in the “Round-Up for Glacier” fundraiser through July 30.

Customers will be asked to round their grocery bills up to the nearest dollar to fund transportation to Glacier National Park for local schools with limited travel budgets.

Smith’s will provide a matching grant up to $2,500. This year’s goal is to raise $10,000, which will fund field trip opportunities for 2,000 students from school districts that surround the park during the 2016-2017 school year.

Hike planned to Three Lakes Peak

The Montana Wilderness Association is hosting a free hike to Three Lakes Peak on the Flathead Indian Reservation on July 7.

Germaine White and Pablo Espinoza from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will lead the short outing through tribal wildlands.

The hike will head into a roadless area along the Reservation Divide, where views from the summit include the Cabinet, Mission and Bitterroot mountain ranges, as well as Flathead Lake.

A tribal recreation permit is required for the hike. Permits are available at the Kalispell Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional office in Kalispell, Snappy Sport Senter, Sportsman & Ski Haus and the Cenex in St. Ignatius.

This hike is in honor of Bob Hopkins, a dedicated Montana Wilderness Association volunteer and wilderness advocate who died this year.

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 [email protected].

Audubon tours Alvord Lake area

Travel with Flathead Audubon on July 8 to Troy to learn about the Alvord Lake Community Forest, common loons, bears and restorative forestry.

Families of all ages are welcome.

Those traveling from the Flathead can meet Steve Gniadek in Kalispell at 7:45 a.m. in the Gateway Community Center parking lot near the United Way Conference Room entrance. Return will be around 5 p.m.

Alvord Lake Community Forest is a 142-acre forested parcel located on Alvord Lake, about two miles north of Troy. It has been recently protected from future development by the Vital Ground Foundation, with the help of a U.S. Forest Service Community Forest and Open Spaces grant and donations from foundations, private donors, the landowner and state nonprofits.

The Alvord Lake Celebration begins at Troy High School, 116 East Missoula Ave., at 10 a.m.

Attendees will be shuttled to Alvord Lake’s Outdoor Classroom for an educational celebration that includes a free lunch.

Attendees will learn about the Community Forest, ongoing forest restoration activities, currently nesting common loons and other birds of the lake at educational stations and short presentations.

For more information or to sign up, contact Steve Gniadek at (406) 892-7406 or by email at [email protected], or contact Paul Rumelhart at (406) 293-7544 or (406) 293-1359 or by email at [email protected].

The field trip is free and all are welcome.

Wild Wings library visit

Montana Wild Wings Recovery will visit Whitefish Community Library today at 10:30 a.m. to meet Wild Wings volunteers and see the raptors they are rehabilitating.

Montana Wild Wings Recovery is a wildlife rehab organization based in Northwest Montana.

“Wild Wings Recovery was one of the heroes at last year’s summer program,” library director Joey Kositzky said in a press release. “We’re so pleased to have them back because the community is fascinated by these birds.”

Wild Wings Recovery is part of the library’s Summer Reading Challenge. Upcoming events will feature the North Valley Music School, a day of outdoor games and the Whitefish Legacy Partners.

For more information on the Summer Reading Challenge, call the library at (406) 862-9914.

For more information about Wild Wings, visit www.wildwingsrecovery.org.