Thursday, October 6, 2016 - Page 9

AsmallbattaliondressedinsturdyworkclothesconvergedontheBullRiverrecentlyforacampaigntoretaketheriverbanksfromaforeigninvader. “TheMontanaConservationCorps(MCC)isofcrucialimportance,”BritaOlsontoldthesixyoungadults,astheywarmedupfortheirforayintothethreetosix-foottallreedcanarygrass.Olsonthenexplainedtheirmis-sion. Stressingtheriver’simportanceasatribu-taryforthreatenedbulltrout,Olson,coordina-toroftheLowerClarkForkWatershedGroup(LCFWG),saidthegoal,withhelpfromlocalland-owners,istoimprovehabitatforbulltroutandwestslopecutthroattrout.Sedimentintheriverimpactsnativefishbyclog-ginggravelsneededforspawning. Overtheyears,theriverhasbeenchannellizedanddredgedforagriculturalpurposes.Whenfarmerstriedtoconvertwetlandstohayfieldsdecadesago,theyfoundthatreedcanarygrassgrewwellinwetterareas.

Whileitappearsbenignandnatural,thenon-nativegrassisaninvasiveweedthatoutcompetesnativespecies. “Reedcanarygrassdoesn’tholdthebankstogethersuperwell,”Olsonexplained.“There’smoreerosionandsedimentation.” ThecrewdeployedonprivatepropertynearBerrayMountain,eightmilesnorthofwheretheBullRivermeetstheClarkForkRiver.Themoun-tain’snamesakeoriginallyownedtheproperty,andlikelytriedtotameitforagriculture.CurrentownerswanttorestorethepropertytobenefitthewaterandwildliferesourcesoftheBullRivervalley. Effortstoreversereedcanarygrass’sdominancealongtheriverbegan10yearsago.Thelatestphaseoftheprojecttargetsnearly10,000feetofBullRivershorelineforreplantingwithnativesthatwillhelpbindthesoils,keepingsoiloutofspawningbeds.Theprojectinvolvesabout10propertiesintheBullRiverValleywhereLCFWGhaspermissiontokillreedcanarygrassandreplaceitwithnativeshrubs.

Theprojectisbeingfundedlargelybyamulti-yeargrantfromMontanaDepartmentofEnvironmentalQuality(DEQ)designatedtoimprovewaterqualityandfishhabitat.AdditionalfundscamefromMontanaFishWildlifeandParks,MontanaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandConservation,andAvista. Thisworkislaborintensive,sothewatershedgroupbroughtinhelpfromtheMontanaConservationCorps,whichhiresoutcrewsforavarietyofoutdoorserviceprojectsaroundthestate,suchastrailbuildingandwater-shedrestoration,aswellasreducingwildfirefuelsandevenbuildingplaygrounds. ThefirstdayoftwoweeksintheBullRiverValley,theMCCcrewremovedfencingfromwil-lowsandotherforbsplant-edyearsago.Theysnippedthroughthefencing,tuggeditfreefromthetangledgrassesandshrubs,andthenrolleditupforreuse. “Theseplantsareout-growingtheirbrowsepro-tection,andhavegraduatedtofendingforthemselves,”saidOlson.

Youngcedarsarevulner-abletobeaversandotheranimals,receivedsmallcir-cularfencesforprotection. “TheBullRiverisgreathabitatforbeaver,”Olsonexplained.“Butwherereedcanarygrasshastakenover,andthere’snotalotofotherbrowse,we’replant-ingasaladbarforbea-vers.”

Laterintheweekthecrewrebuiltother,largerfencedenclosurestokeepdeer,elkandbeaveroutsothenativeplantscanbecomeestablished. Intheseareas,installedweedmattingsuppressesreedcanarygrass,andthennewplantsareplantedandguardedbythefencing. “Oncetheplantsare

established,theycompeteprettywell,”Olsonsaid. Toolsforthecrewincludefivegallonbuck-ets,wirecutters,apostpounder,aPulaskiandworkgloves.Nearby,afieldthatwasonceallreedcanarygrasshasgivenwaytonativesedges,theresult

MCC crews helping Bull River

Susan Drumheller photo

A MONTANA CONSERVATION CORPS member works to erect a fence around brush along the Bull River in western SAnders County to protect it from being a target for deer and other browsing animals.

Please turn to page 18

Asthefallhuntingseasonmovesclosertotheopeningdayofgeneralrifleseason,theearlyseasonsappeartobegoingverywellsaidBiologistBruceSterlingoftheDepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks. Withamonthremain-inginthefallbearseason,Sterlingsaidhe’scheckedabout40bears,andinanormalfall,he’llseeabout50. Andwhilelastyear’sberryseasonleftalotofbearswithreducedfatreservesgoingintohiber-nation,thisyear,hesaidtheanimalsandhideshe’sseenhaveagoodfatlayerandaredoingverywell. Montanahuntersarerequiredtoreporttheirkillwhentheyharvestabearandthenhavethehideandheadcheckedwithin10days.Sterlingsaidatoothistakenfromtheskullfordeterminingtheanimal’sageandsomebasicinfor-mationaboutthehuntisrecordedfordataanalysis. Sterlingsaidtheharvestisonparwithanormalyearbutwithtimeleftitcouldimprove.

Normally,thearea’sbearharvestisaround150animalswith60percentinthespringandtheremain-derinthefall. Althoughhuckleberrieshavebeensparseinsomeareasthisyear,Sterlingsaidotherberrycropshavebeenampleandthathashelpedthebearsputonweightforthewinter.Besideshuckleberries,bearsfeedonmountainashberries,chokecherries,buffaloberriesandservice-berries. AndalthoughbearsbegantobeseeninThompsonFallsinlateAugustandearlySeptember,Sterlingsaidtherehasn’tbeenthebearcomplaintcallstheyusu-allyreceive,partlybecauseoftheimprovedfoodsup-pliesinthewildandalsobecausehethinkscom-munityresidentsarebeingmorecarefulaboutgarbageandattractantsthatcanlurebearsintothearea. Currentlybearsareinastateofhyperphagia,aconditionwheretheyeatasmanycaloriesastheycanconsumetobereadyforthelongwinter.Some

bearswillputon100poundsintheshortperiod,hesaid. Thefirstbearstoenterdensforthewinterarepregnantsowsandsowswithcubsandtheircon-ditionenteringthedencanhelpdeterminehowmanycubscomeoutinthespring.Sterlingsaidaprimesowthatgoesintoadenhealthyandfat,willlikelyemergewithmorethanonecubifshe’spreg-nant.Wherefatsuppliesarelimiting,thephysiologyoftheanimalcancausethesowtoabortoneofthecubsiftherearemorethanone. Sowbearsdon’tusuallyreproduceuntilagesixandthengenerallyhavecubseveryotheryear.Theycanliveandbreedupintotheirlate20s.

Malebears,dependingontheirage,willstayoutandforageforaslongastheycan,andaslongasthere’sfood,andusuallydon’tenteradenuntilweatherforcesthemto.Sterlingsaidthatcanbewellintothebiggamehuntingsea-son. Archeryhuntersappeartobedoingwellthisfallaswell,saidSterling. Althoughaccuratedatawon’tbeavailableuntillatenextspring,hesaidfromreportshe’sreceivedandbyconversationswithoutfittersandhunters,therehavebeenampleopportu-nitiesforhunterstoharvestbullelk.Hesaiditappearsthebullsarebeingactiveandhuntersaregettingintothembuthehasnowayofknowingjusthowsuccess-fulthey’vebeen.

Thebiggamehunt-ingseasondoesn’tbegin

untilSaturday,October22andrunsthroughthe

Fall bear, archery elk hunting going well

18 - Sanders County Ledger - Thursday, October 6, 2016

Ardell’s Old-Fashioned

-Fall Festival-fundraiser

Saturday, October 8, 20162 PM-Dark

Pilgrim Creek Park, Noxon MT

FOOT RACES

FACEPAINTING

PONY CART RIDES PUMPKINPAINTING

DONUT-EATING

TUG-A-WAR

GREASED PIGWRESTLING

PIE CONTEST

FALL P HO T OBOO TH

POPCORNCHILI DINNER

GREAT MUSIC

HAY RIDES

FAMILYFUN

CONTEST

PRIZES

Bring the whole family out to our Fall Festival for an evening of games, great food, and good old fashioned fun. Men, roll up your

sleeves and try wrestling a greased pig, and ladies bring those prize

winning pies for an old fashioned pie auction. Children will enjoy

face-painting, hay rides, and much more. Look forward to prizes, fresh donuts, hot spiced cider, live mu-sic, and a good old cowboy supper of Chili Soup and Cornbread, and of course, apple and pumpkin pie!

Ardell’s Storywww.facebook.com/bylerupdates

For more information on the Festival,

All proceeds will go to the Nevin Byler Family, a family who spent 8 weeks in the hospital with their

son, Ardell, who passed away on Sunday, September 25, 2016. The festival was planned before Ardell went on to heaven, and

while Ardell is no longer with us, the extra expenses resulting from the long hospital stay and funeral remain, so the festival will go on as planned. Let’s come together as a community and show our

support!

Suggest Donation$8/person or $30/Family

please visit our Facebook Page

Ardell’s Fall Festival

call

406-272-4773

for more info!

Homecoming games bring out school spirit by Ed Moreth PlainsstudentstookabreakfromstudiesFridaytoshowtheirschoolcolorsandpumpthemselvesupforagameagainsttheDarbyTigers. Forthesecondconsecu-tiveyear,thehighschoolandjuniorhighschoolstudentsdemonstratedtheirschoolspiritwithaparadeoffloatsdownRailroadAvenue,thisyearwiththetheme“EyeoftheTiger.”Thestudentsspentallmorningconstructingtheirfloats,somegoingwiththeirownthemes,suchas“BurntheCats”and“CagetheCats.”AfloatsponsoredbyMcGowan,ThePrintery,andMountainWestClothingcarriedtheslogan“TrashtheTigers”andwasaccompaniedby1989PlainsgraduateDerekVonHeederdressedinaHorsemansuit. “Itwasgoodtoseetheparadeagain,”said1976graduateRandyGarrison,whoseclassdidaparadeeveryyear.FormerPrincipalLarryMcDonalddisbandedthehomecomingparadeduringhisreignafter

severalstudentsusedthetimetoskipschool.KevinMeredith,whotookoverasprincipallastyear,broughttheparadebacklastyear.“Thecommunityandtheschoolcomingtogetherisabigpartofhomecoming,”saidMeredith,whodonnedhisspecial“Tie‘emUpHorsemen”necktie. Nearly100peoplelinedthestreetasemergencymedicalservicesvehiclescarriedthefootballandvolleyballteamsthroughtown,followedbyclassfloatsfromseventhgradetoseniorsshowingtheirschoolposturewithcoloredhair,paintedfaces,teamjerseys,andgrassskirts.JuniorKyleWeeksworeatutu.HistoryteacherKenNelson,alsothestudentcounciladviser,broughttheparadetoaclosewiththeschoolpepbandinhis1984five-tonformerArmytruck. “It’sanage-oldtraditionthatbringsthecommunitytogetherandgetsthekidsampedupforthegames,”saidSuperintendentThomChisholm,whocookedburgersalongthegreenwayinPlainsforthe189stu-

dents,severalteachersandstaffmembers,andabout30communitymembers. Oncethestudentsweredonewiththeirpicniclunch,theyreturnedtotheschoolfootballfield,wherethehighschoolstudentscompetedintheHorsemenOlympics,aseriesofcom-petitionsbetweenthefourhighschoolclasses.TheOlympicshadreplacedthehomecomingparadenearly20yearsago,butweren’theldlastyear.Thegames,developedeachyearby

thePlainsHighSchoolStudentCouncil,includedpowderpufffootball,boysvolleyball,apie-eatingcontest,applebobbing,andthetrashcangame,whichinvolvedthreerepresenta-tivesfromeachclasstryingtomakeeachothertouchtheplastictrashcan.Theyalsohadcompetitionsbetweenthehomecomingkingandqueens.Queencandidateswere:LindsayLaws,MakennaSmith,AudreyBrown,andMeganTurner.Kingcandidateswere:KarsenKrebs,DanielUli,OrionPry-Hyde,andMasonGannarelli.KrebsandTurnerweretheroyalwinners. Thesophomoreclasstookfirstplacewith11pointsintheOlympicgames,followedbytheseniorsinsecondwith10points.Thesophomoresalsotookfirstplaceinthekingandqueengameswithfourpointswiththeseniorsinsecondwiththreepoints,juniorswithtwopoints,andfreshmenwithone.Theclassescom-petedthroughouttheweekwithsuchcontestsasclasscheersanddress-updays.Overall,theseniorswontheHomecomingWeekcompetitionwith22points,followedbythesophomoreswith20points,juniorsat17

points,andfreshmenwith12. Nelsonwaspleasedwiththestudents’participationinthehomecomingactivi-ties.“Theentireschool

cametogetherinagreatshowofPHSpride,”saidNelson.“Everyone,studentsandstaff,shouldbeproudofwhattheyaccomplished.”

of plugging an old drainage ditch and allowing water to reclaim the wetland, an earlier project done by the Natural Resource and Conservation Service. MCC crew members are from far-flung locales including Maryland, Germany, Phoenix, North Carolina, Michigan and Iowa. They’re all young and looking for a chance to be outdoors and experience the West. “I thought it would

be interesting to go out West and give back,” said Victoria Winch, a 23-year-old college graduate of international affairs and geography from Maryland. She said spending three months in the Bob Marshall Wilderness this past sum-mer, working on a reroute of the Continental Divide Trail, was “180 degrees from living in the city.” Paul Rusmisel, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, said being on

the MCC was “life-chang-ing.” He’s now considering studying conservation, pos-sibly specializing in forest-ry in Montana. “Montana is beautiful,” he remarked. For more information about the Bull River reveg-etation project and other work of the Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group, visit the group’s website at www.lowerclarkforkwater-shedgroup.org.

Bull River restorationContinued from page 1

Photo by Ed Moreth

BUBBLE QUEENS – Queen candidates – Lindsay Laws, Makenna Smith, Audrey Brown, and Megan Turner – try to blow a bubble after retrieving a piece of bubble gum at the bottom of a pie plate of whipped cream, using only their mouths. Smith, a sophomore, was the first to display a bubble.

Photo by Ed Moreth

CLOSED-EYE CATCH – Cree Lulack makes a reception while Analisa Loberg tries to stop her dur-ing the Powder Puff Horseman Olympics.