On July 6^th, work began on the restoration of Priest River’s former landfill site.  Priest Community Forest Connection (PCFC) moved Waldo Construction’s equipment and materials in to begin constructing a silt fence for erosion control.  As they made their way down the slope of the landfill, the extent of the clean-up became clear.  Many years of metal, mostly cars and appliances, are being collected and sorted into piles on the staging area up top.  These items are being recycled.  Thousands of small items are also being exposed and will be disposed of properly.

 It has also become clear that the hillside is unstable and highly dangerous.  TerraGraphics Construction Manager, Frank Parker says “At this time, while we are under construction, the site is extremely unstable.  We are limiting access to contract workers only.”  Steep, uneven and unsound ground covers the site, but in the end, all will be made sturdy and erosion resistant. 

The contractors are working on the site from 6 am until 6 pm most days, except Sundays.  At this time, the project is on schedule and is slated to be complete by the first week of August.  “All of the contractors, from TerraGraphics to Waldo Construction, have been great, demonstrating excellent working standards and communications,” says PCFC Director, Liz Johnson-Gebhardt.

For more information on the project, please contact PCFC at 208-448-0210.

PRIEST COMMUNITY FOREST CONNECTION

July 6, 2011 Meeting

Priest River Landfill Site

Present:  Jeff Connolly, Duane Hopkins, Dan Eskelson, Liz Johnson-Gebhardt, Carl Wright, Teresa Catlin, and Diane Mercer

Liz called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm.

OLD BUSINESS: 

June Meeting Minutes

Dan made the motion to approve the minutes and it was seconded by Duane.  Motion passed.

Timber Day Schedule

We will have our normal booth at the park on Timber Day and Liz will take care of it in the morning but needs help in the afternoon.  Carl volunteered to be there in the afternoon.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Newspapers in the Classroom Program

In the past we have contributed $250.00 to the Daily Bee to sponsor the newspapers in the classroom program.  Carl made the motion to continue the sponsorship and Duane seconded the motion.  The motion passed.

Salute to Timber Ad

Liz asked whether we want to place an ad in the Salute to Timber for Timber Days.  The cost would be $25 to $28.  Jeff made the motion that we put in a small ad with our website information and suggesting folks check it out to see what we are up to.  Carl seconded the motion, motion passed.

Financials

Jeff suggested we table the financials until he and Steve had a chance to look it over.  Liz indicated that the expo account did not reflect the bill from Mike Reynolds Logging for the logging and mulching and also did not reflect the income from the logging. 

Granite Creek Update

In reviewing the participation agreement with the Forest Service, Jeff and Liz questioned whether it included an inflation clause  and if time and travel would be paid.  Liz spoke with Jill Cobb and there is not an inflation clause but time and travel will be paid.  The contract is funded by the SRF Board.   We will be working with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the FS.  The contract is for the years 2012 and 2013 but the funding is good until 2015.  The field crew for the project will be meeting Monday, July 11 at 10:00 am at the ranger station and will go out in the field at 11:00 am.

LANDFILL 6:20 pm

Waldo is on site and working on building the silt fence.  Steve Gill and Frank Parker are monitoring.   The schedule chart shows the days that will be spent on particular activities.  It will take 25 days for substantial completion with 5 days for potential corrections for a total of 30 days.  They will work 7:00 am to 7:00 pm conforming to our good neighbor policy.  Liz will give them permission to work on Saturdays if it is deemed necessary, but definitely no Sundays.  Liz has spoken to Jack about dust abatement to meet Idaho State Air quality standards.  The city will provide the water and they are looking for a water tank.  In line with OSCHA, hard hats must be worn whenever equipment is running.  Liz also stated that intense safety standards must be adhered to and no one is allowed on site without an escort from PCFC, Waldo or DEQ. 

NEXT MEETING:

August 10^th at Dan Eskelson’s house, 5:00 pm for food and refreshments, meeting at 6:00 pm. 

Meeting adjourned at 6:35 pm

Every Spring, in preparation for the Idaho State Forestry Contest, the Priest River Lamanna High School (PRLHS) advanced forestry class goes out into the field to learn and practice skills.  This past April, the students, teacher Jared Hughes and Liz Johnson-Gebhardt of Priest Community Forest Connection headed out to the middle fork of the Priest River to a State timber harvesting site.  Terry Simcox from Idaho Forest Group helped coach the students on scaling logs.  Terry has become instrumental in assisting the students in learning this skill and gaining confidence.  It is one of the tougher aspects of the state contest.

The students then toured the project area with Mike Reynolds Logging foreman, Jeff Connolly.  He explained the purpose of the harvesting and what the end result would be.  David Ehrmantrout and Luke Scott kindly explained the harvester and forwarder and allowed the students to climb in and get a real feel for the machines.  They were all quite thrilled with that opportunity.  (In February, the students spent time in a harvester simulator where they actually ran the controls.)

Next, the students went to the Priest River Experimental Forest to work on tree species identification and at determining different disease and insect indicators.  Bob Denner, PREF superintendent, took them on a tour of the area while they examined all ages of coniferous and deciduous trees.  (The best part was being escorted by Brewski, the dog.)  Lunch in the lodge was a treat, where they warmed up and asked Bob questions about the PREF.  The experimental Forest is celebrating its 100^th year anniversary in 2011 so Bob took them into the PREF museum and gave them a general history of why and how the PREF was started.

The Idaho State Forestry Contest was held on May 12^th.  Most of the 6^th grade and high school forestry students were able to attend the Contest and partake in all the activities. 

Priest Community Forest Connection (PCFC) has awarded Phase II of the former Priest River Landfill Restoration project to Waldo Construction of Post Falls, ID.  An advertisement for bids for the second phase of the former Landfill Restoration project was released in April 2011.  Due to some errors with all the proposals that were submitted, an advertisement for re-bids was released in May.  On June 2, 2011, Waldo Construction was awarded the clean-up contract. 

Waldo Construction is in partnership with CWR Enterprises whose work focuses in the environmental construction industry.  Their main area of expertise is remediation.  With a long history of excavation contracting services, their experience will be crucial to the main part of the restoration at the former landfill site.  Stone Creek Land Design and Development from Priest River, ID will be sub-contracting the erosion control, planting and fencing portion of the contract.

In the next weeks, PCFC will be setting up the project schedule with Waldo Construction and the

Department of Environmental Quality.  TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering will be onsite for project oversight.  Currently, the project is scheduled to begin in either late June or possibly early July, depending on the weather and site conditions.

In order to maintain the highest degree of safety, it is imperative that the public know that the site will be closed to everyone during this phase of the work.  PCFC may give special permission to those wishing to visit the site if it is deemed necessary, but only by appointment.  For more information on the project, please contact the PCFC office @ 208-448-0210.

PRIEST COMMUNITY FOREST CONNECTION

Thursday, March 17, 2011

PCFC Board Room

Present:  Liz Johnson-Gebhardt, Carl Wright,  Dan Eskelson, , Steve Gill , Diane Mercer, and Derek Forseth (TerraGraphics)

The meeting was called to order at 5:01 pm by Liz. 

NEW BUSINESS

Liz decided that the meeting would start with the landfill project due to the fact that most board members were absent and Dan needed to leave by 5:40 p.m.

LANDFILL PROJECT -  pm

Derek brought three copies of the design plan which is 90% complete.  Derek is holding out for the neighboring access agreements.  At this point, Liz has not been able to talk with Andy Wright. The grading quantities are incomplete and still need revisions.  The plan sheets will require minor revisions.  We are one week past our initial 90% date due to waiting for the site access agreement.  Questions remain about the cap up on the bench.  Derek does not believe that we need a clay cap and that it could be eliminated.  Instead the area could be graded, put down a geo-textile fabric, then 12” of  top soil and revegetation and use the same specs for a moist site mixture  that PCFC used at the Experimental Forest.  The yarrow and lupine do not hydro seed well and need to be hand seeded.  Liz volunteered to hand seed it.    Derek will incorporate the specs in the plan and have the contractor purchase the products for Liz to hand seed.  The specs call for about 1000 yards of top soil for the bench.  Dan will look over the specs to see if the type of soil specified is compatible with our area.  The contractor can submit an alternative and it would be up to PCFC to accept or reject it.  The rest of the project will use the existing soil which will be screened and amended.  If additional structure type

soil is required (Derek feels it would only be about 200 yards) a provision will be in the plan for it to be  a pay item.  The way it is laid out is similar to the 60% plan, cutting the top notch off the bench and bring the slope back to a 2 ½ to 1.  Derek would like to revise the trail as reflected in the plan to more of a switch back as it is too steep and probably would not hold.  It would prevent the trail from becoming a road, but would be accessible for ATV type vehicles.  Bollards will be placed at the top and bottom to prevent vehicles from driving down the trail. Derek will amend the plan to include four bollards, two at the top and two at the bottom, set in concrete and made of treated wood.    PCFC will probably add Hawthorne plants as an additional barrier later.   At the bottom of the swale, Derek added a 6 inch perforated pipe for drainage.  The gravel trench will prevent water from flowing from the top.  The swale calls for 3/4 inch river rock and the drainage pipe will be wrapped in fabric (D-6 design).  The specs for the gate call for a dual swinging gate on metal posts anchored in concrete.  The fence at the top will be three rail bolted to posts.  The silt fence will remain and it will be PCFC's responsibility to move it.  Any work done on the neighboring property will be a contract add-on until we get the access agreement signed.  Liz updated everyone on her e-mail with Andy Wright.  He was still under the impression that we would need to use his property for access and that we would be working in the wet area.  Liz stressed with him the opportunity to have his property cleaned and he will stop by next week to look at the plans.  We would only be cleaning up the overflow of junk and not digging on his property.  Derek's plan does show some restoration with hydro seeding for Andy's property and only working up to the far edge of the old trail. Steve Gill has also spoken to Andy and he feels we are now all on the same page.  He also questioned whether we had an access agreement with J. R. Sheppard?  Since we do not, Steve will initiate the paper work on Monday.  Sheppard wants to change the zoning on his property from R-1 to commercial.  Dan said that it was not even on the city agenda and PCFC does not need to be concerned about it for their project. 

Derek is concerned about the pay item for waste that is exposed when they begin work.  There is approximately 1700 cubic yards of bulk waste and he has listed it as lump sum paid item. 

Steve Gill did not see any OSCHA exemption for ARRA projects online.  If the contractors contact Liz or Steve directly they will refer them to the government handout on OSCHA training or let them know they can take a class in Spokane.  If there were enough people interested Spring Environmental would possibly do a class here locally.  In the bidding document we will require certification from the Panhandle Health Department for Haz-Whopper training for at least one individual from the prime contractor. 

Derek questioned whether there were any site disturbance permits required by the city as they are not covered in the plan.  He has included Storm Water Prevention plan as part of the contract.  Liz will check with the city and get back to Derek. 

Steve Gill discussed the proposed changes in zoning for J.R. Sheppard's property.  As part of an agreement with the city and Roger Gregory, when the property on Huckleberry Lane was sold it would be changed to commercial.  There was a time limit set by the city and it needs to be done sooner rather than later.  The Sheppard request is not actually for a zone change but for a special use permit allowing a business to be conducted from a residential parcel.  Dan reflected the neighborhood's concern about setting the precedent to the area since the city's commercial zoning category is so broad.  PCFC is also concerned and were not notified to the request and public hearings. 

Schedule Bidding  

Steve requested that Derek electronically send the 90% document to Bruce Wicherski at the State and cc him.  Bruce may be the one stumbling block: he heads the state DEQ and Voluntary Clean-up Program.  If he signs off then we are good to go after Steve and Aaron review the plan. 

TerraGraphics will issue the plans and they will post a link to them off of PCFC's website.   All addenda  will be available three days prior to the bids being due.  The bid opening will be on May 11^th.  There will b e a week before an announcement to go over the bids and check on contractor bonding.  The contract will be available at TG, ACG in Hayden, Spokane and at PCFC.  Derek will supply PCFC with a box of plans.  The plans will cost $50 and checks should be made out to TerraGraphics.  If they want a full size copy of the prints (22x34) the cost would be $100. 

Steve expects that after the plans are reviewed by Bruce, he and Aaron, they could have their comments back by the March 28th.  The plan would be released on the 13th of April, then 30 days, awarded in one week, for sure by June 1st and the contractor could be on site before the end of June.  Steve suggested advertising commence for the first ad on the 13th and second ad on the 27th.  Liz will put ads in CDA Press, (Daily Bee and PR Times), Newport Miner, Spokesman and on our website.  Derek will get the ad to Liz in word format.  Liz will contact Bill Cleveland to find out the exact street address of the property.  Derek will keep a phone log of calls that come in.  The Pre-Bid conference and the site walk through can be scheduled for the same day. 

The rest of the Agenda was tabled for the next meeting due to a lack in Board Members for a quorum.

Liz will compose an email to Board members about donating to help students see the Smithsonian Exhibit next Fall. 

NEXT MEETING: The next meeting is our Annual meeting and will be on April 6^th.  This will include elections and it has been suggested to have a breakfast meeting.  Liz will contact the other members.

Meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.      

MINUTES

PRIEST COMMUNITY FOREST CONNECTION

Wednesday December 8, 2010

PCFC Board Room

Present:  Liz Johnson-Gebhardt, Jeff Connolly,   Carl Wright , Steve Linton, Duane Hopkins, Dan Eskelson, Cliff  Ackerman, Steve Gill and Diane Mercer. 

The meeting was called to order at 5:05 pm by Liz. 

OLD BUSINESS

October  & November Minutes

A motion was made by Jeff to approve the October minutes and seconded by Steve L..  Motion carried.

Motion was made by Steve L. to approve the November minutes, seconded by Dan.  Motion carried.

Granite Creek Update

We are partnering  with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Priest Lake FS on the Granite Creek Large Woody Replenishment project.  We are in the planning stages and the project will be on the ground in July in 2012.  We will act as the primary contractor.  Liz is going to meet with them tomorrow to sort out some problems with the funding , primarily the $10,000 of NEPA money.  Liz will provide an update next month after the meeting.

Forestry Class

The tour of about 40 students to Idaho Forest Products at Riley Creek was awesome.  Doug Bradetich and his crew of five took the kids through everything.  Pictures of the tour are in the newsletter.

Website - g-mail

We have been experiencing problems with our email on our website, so a new email address has been created for the website.  It is  pcfc .liz@gmail.com., Liz will still have her current email at hotmail.

NEW BUSINESS

Collaboration Workshop in Boise ~ Jan. 19-20

Liz expressed concerns about attending as the Bonner County Collaborative is not functioning at the present time and PCFC is not a collaborative; however, due to Liz' experience with the National Forest Foundation, John Roberts has urged Liz to attend.  There is limited funding available to help defray the costs and Liz will check into it.  It would require a one night stay and airfare to Boise. 

Forest Service Ranger Interview - Involvement with FS

DeWayne Thornberg has left the Priest Lake district and Ranotta McNair has made the decision that Priest Lake will now have a full-time ranger.  Liz was invited to sit on the interview committee, which is unprecedented  and a compliment to PCFC.  A recommendation was put in for Glen Klingler, who is a wildlife biologist and has experience working for BLM, State Agencies, Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service and has experience in the types of issues up at Priest Lake.  There is going to be a hiring freeze in January, so they are trying to get the process completed before the end of the month. 

Our involvement with the FS is frustrating , there were only two projects scheduled at Priest Lake,  Nickle Plate and Lakeview Reeder.  As of last Friday, Ranotta rescinded both projects even though they had been sold but not awarded.  Apparently, the Native Eco System Council raised issues about indicator species, and the FS is developing a template for this area to address the problem.  We’re being told the projects should be resold in June of 2011.  This is frustrating as proposals which had been submitted well have to be totally redone by the contractors.  There is the appearance that they only thing the FS responds to is threats and that is why they pay attention to the Environmentalists more.    Liz with the board's approval is going to stay involved with the Bonner County Collaborative to try to make the FS listen to the other side and not just the threats from the environmental  groups.

RAC Title III - Report, Funding Proposal

Liz has submitted the report and included pictures since we did not produce a video this year.  Leslie Marshall was going to deliver it to the commissioners last Tuesday.  Title III is no longer going to be funded and only Title II will remain which does not include the education.  There are monies left in Title III account and a discussion ensued whether we should apply for all of the remaining funds and submit a proposal for a three year plan, and put in the proposal the option to only fund one year with the first year covering the costs of the needed equipment (hard hats, etc.)  We are also partnering with the Experimental Forest and may need to match $14,000 for additional trails and signage for the More Kids in the Woods program.  Duane made the motion for Liz to apply for the remaining monies in RAC Title III and submit a three year proposal.  Steve L. seconded the motion.  Motion passed.

Toys for Tots

Every year PCFC donates $150 to Toys for Tots and it is the only exception to our donation guidelines.  Dan made the motion that we donate $150 for “wooden toys” and Duane seconded the motion.  Motion passed.

Financials

Steve L. reviewed the financials and they are fine.  Steve L. would like the board to review the year end financials at our next meeting to discuss how much money we lost this year (approximately $10,000) and how long we can sustain PCFC at this rate.

LANDFILL PROJECT - 5:48 pm

SAGE Community Services ~ Invoice Update

PCFC has invoices for approximately $8,000 which have not been paid.  Jim Gruber  has had a problem with the grant modification figures and the finalized budget of $387,230 which was submitted on October 19, 2010.  We will make a request to TerraGraphics to change the work plan budget that is in the ABCA work plan to match the budget that is in the subgrant document.  As soon as the request  is received, the invoices will be paid.  Jim is aware of this and it is pre-approved, so a check should be issued before the end of the month.  Jim is leaving and Kathleen will take over as administrator.  Liz spoke to Jon from TerraGraphics today to make sure he had the information for the Phase II design.  Liz received an invoice from TerraGraphics which she forwarded to Aaron, but it was not detailed. 

Signs

The signs are up and they look terrific.  TerraGraphics has paid Art Attack for the signs.

Survey ~ Rhett Parker (Plum Creek Property Line)

Todd Douglas had a survey done on the property and after a review of the survey, there is only a very small piece of land that belongs to Plum Creek.  It was the board's recommendation that Liz advise Rhett Parker of the new survey and go ahead and proceed with the donation of the land to PCFC.  Rhett is going to submit the request to his board in January.  The new survey was submitted to Terragraphics.

Steve Gill is going to talk to Andy about the debris overflow on to his property and how to clean it up.

Conference Call (12-2-10)

Todd Douglas participated in the conference call last week and helped Derek with some good design ideas. 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be our January electronic meeting.

Meeting adjourned 6:08 pm

The former Priest River Landfill along Cemetery Road in north Priest River, entered the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund sub-grant program last Fall.  The program is made possible by the Reuse Idaho Brownfields Coalition via American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s Steve Gill has been working with the City of Priest River and Priest Community Forest Connection (PCFC) for nearly four years to get the landfill clean-up project on the ground.

In March 2010, PCFC was deeded the property by the City of Priest River in order for the property to be eligible for the funding.    Throughout the summer, PCFC has been working with TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering to design Phases 1 and 2 which will achieve the clean-up of the former landfill.

PCFC put out an Request For Proposal in October that was competitively bid on by five local contractors.  Phase 1 of the landfill contract was awarded to Douglas Construction and Custom Cutting on October 22.  The first Phase was started at the landfill on November 1^st and was completed on November 3^rd.  The first phase consisted of clearing the portion of the property along Cemetery Road and preparing it to be the staging area for Phase 2 which will entail the removal of the old landfill waste.  No harmful materials were found during Phase 1.

The design for Phase 2 is projected to be available by the end of February 2011.  It is PCFC’s objective to put out the Phase 2 RFP around mid-March 2011 with those activities beginning in May 2011, as conditions allow.  PCFC is pleased to get this community improvement project started and is excited to continue the activities next year.  For more information, please contact PCFC at 208-448-0210.

The 99 year old Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF) is an exceptional place right here in our backyards.  And once again, a special event took place at PREF this past May 19^th.  Priest Community Forest Connection (PCFC) hosted the 3^rd annual 6^th grade Forest Expo.  Starting with a bright, sunny morning, PCFC brought together 118 West Bonner County elementary students, 18 Priest River Lamanna High School students, 6 teachers, 20 parent chaperones and nearly 35 volunteers to produce a rewarding field day for all.  To kick off the day, all of the visitors donned hard hats so that professionals from Mike Reynolds Logging could treat everyone to a demonstration of logging techniques.  The group then convened at the PREF amphitheater and broke into nine groups, each led by High School students from the forestry and wildlife classes.

“As with the Expos of the past two years, the main objective is to get these youngsters out in the forest for a day.  Learning about our forests and how to respectively enjoy our forests is of real importance,” says Bob Denner, PREF Supervisory Forester. 

Thirty-five community volunteers work to make this day special and educational by creating nine stations that address forest management, forest products, tree and plant identification, forest recreation, fire ecology, papermaking, fish and wildlife, weather and PREF history.   The stations engage the students in fun, valuable, hands-on experiences and encourages them to engage with subject experts.

New this year, was a recently completed section of trail built by PCFC’s contractor, Stone Creek Land Design.  The trail leads to a cedar boardwalk and observation platform right on the banks of Benton Creek.  Here, the students learn about the variety of wildlife that use the riparian areas and were given a demonstration of hydrology with a “stream board.”  The stream board is a sand table that simulates a stream channel and how a stream affects and interacts with trees, animals, homes, bridges and other features.

Along the several stretches of trail interpretive signs have been erected showing different aspects of the nearby forest, PREF historical features and different varieties of wildlife and fish.  Designed by PCFC and PREF employees, the signs were produced by Art Attack in Priest River.

Special thanks goes to all the volunteers and community sponsors and supporters that make this event an awesome experience.  This includes a wide range of folks: consulting foresters, Forest Service staff, retired foresters, timber company managers, a nurse, a biologist, a botanist, historians, a videographer, a journalist, the logging crew, many local businesses and the PCFC Board of Directors and Executive Director.

Last night's March Board Meeting went well with the following program updates:

The Highway 57 Maintenance Project has gone out for bid again.  It is still being sold as a timber sale contract.  For information, contact PCFC.

The 3rd annual Forest Expo plans are underway.  PCFC has prepared and delivered the workbooks to the students.  This year an additional few pages concentrates on the catastrophic and historic fires of 1910.  The Expo will be held on May 19th at the Priest River Experimental Forest.

PCFC has acquired the former Priest River Landfill property north of town.  They will work with the Department of Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency and local contractors to clean up the hazardous materials, cap the dump area and eventually turn the site into a waterfront park for the public.  The RFP for the workplan has been released and is due on March 18th.  The RPF for the on-the-ground activities will be released later this Spring.

On March 24th, PCFC, Mike Reynolds Logging and Modern Machinery will bring the Valmet Harvester simulator to the Priest River Lamanna High School for the Advanced Forestry class.

PCFC's annual meeting will be held on April 5th @ 5 pm.  Place to be announced.

 PCFC, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Research Station, have constructed a trail from the administrative site to Benton Creek.

 Since starting our education programs at the Priest River Experimental Forest, PCFC and the Rocky Mountain Research Station have strived to enhance the experiences of the students and the general public by improving access to particular sites at the forest.  This past November saw the construction of a trail, boardwalk and observation platform at Benton Creek.

In October, PCFC awarded the project to Stone Creek Land Design and Development, Inc. after going through a public bid process.  The crew first worked on completing the gravel trail and then began constructing the cedar portion of the project.

PCFC plans on setting the Forest Expo's Fish, Wildlife & Water station on the platform in May 2010, giving the students a hands-on opportunity to explore the richness of a riparian area.  The structure will be maintained by PCFC in conjunction with the needs of the Experimental Forest.

PCFC finds the partnership with the Experimental Forest and its Supervisory Forester, Bob Denner, to be invaluable. We would like to thank Bob and Scientist-in-Charge, Russ Graham, for their participation in our programs and their support in the education of our local students.  And a special thanks to Marina for being there for all of us!

Construction of the gravel portion of the trail

A completed section of the gravel trail

Framing of the elevated boardwalk and observation platform

The completed structure

For the past 12 years an entourage from the Priest River area has crossed the Atlantic to visit the forestlands and historical sites of Sweden.  Every four years an international forest exhibition is held in Elmia, Sweden showcasing the forest industry’s latest technologies, strategies and research.  “Elmia Wood” also showcases the international championship for Forwarder operators.  (A forwarder is a forest machine that picks logs up in the forest behind the harvester and brings them to the log decking area.)  For the past three exhibitions crew members from Mike Reynolds Logging have participated in the international championship. 

In 2005 Jeff Connolly won the North American Forwarder Championship earning a place at the World competition at Elmia Wood.  Brad Ackerman won the North American Forwarder Championship last Fall and on June 6th Brad became the bronze medal winner of the World Forwarder Competition ~ third best in the world!   Competitors from all over the world come to partake in this international competition after winning their country’s competition.  This is the first time an American made it to the finals.

Of the success of Brad at the World Forwarder competitions?  “It’s pretty awesome,” says Mike Reynolds.  “Brad really kept his composure.  It’s not easy competing against some of those European guys.  This is like an Olympic sport to them.”   Before the competition, straws are drawn to see what machines will be used.  John Deere and Valmet were chosen this year, but after computer problems with the John Deere boom speed, only the Valmets were used.  Mike commented, “Brad is an expert on Valmet forwarders.”

As part of this year’s trip, the entourage made a trip north to the Artic Circle to visit Komatsu Forest headquarters in Umeä, Sweden.  (Komatsu owns Valmet and a number of other big machinery companies.)  At this stop, the crew was treated to an amazing event.  The CEO of Komatsu Forest, Tosh Miyake, honored two men in the entire world as being stellar citizens of their communities and long term, high yield business customers. 

Priest River’s Mike Reynolds was one of the honorees!  In a humbling celebration dinner, the attendees were treated to a DVD of Mike’s history in the logging business as a Komatsu customer since 1996.  Mike was presented with a Whispering Birch crystal bowl, a very meaningful symbol of the region.  “It was pretty cool to be honored like that,” says Mike.  “It totally took me off guard.”  Mike has purchased over 50 Komatsu machines in the past 13 years.  All of those machines have put local citizens to work here in the Inland Empire. 

“The whole trip was great,” says Mike.  “Everybody was so pleasant at that time of the year with the days being so long.  We really enjoyed ourselves.”

To view the DVD of Mike Reynolds’ Valmet career, visit the Priest Community Forest Connection office at 224 Main Street or contact Liz at 208-448-0210.

PCFC is pleased to announce the continued support of Resource Advisory Committee's Title III funding through the Bonner County Commissioners.  Last week the commissioners considered the proposal to continue funding the daylong field trip for the 6th graders at the Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF) and voted affirmatively.  Also in the proposal was the request to help PCFC fund the construction of an elevated boardwalk and platform that will access Benton Creek near the administrative site at the PREF.  The boardwalk and observation platform will allow easy access to the waterway for all visitors.  Because this improvement to the PREF enhances the Forest Expo experience for the 6th graders, giving them better hands-on activity for the Fish and Wildlife station, the commissioners agreed to help with this funding as well.  

This kind of support is paramount to the educational programs that PCFC is determined to provide for our communities.  Partnerships with the County, the Forest Service, the Rocky Mountain Research Station and many local citizens is the only way these fun, adventurous and educational activities can take place. 

PCFC would like all of our partners to know how much we appreciate their time, efforts and dedication.

January has started with a feverish, exciting round of events for Priest Community Forest Connection.

On January 6th, the first Idaho Panhandle Renewable Energy Enterprise Zone (IPREEZ) forum was held in Priest River, ID.  Among the speakers was the Director of Idaho's Office of Energy Resources, Paul Kjellander.  Nearly 75 local, regional and state citizens attended the forum.  They came from all sectors: not-for-profits, energy and forest industries, local, state and federal agencies and area economic development corporations.

After 6 presentations (all of which may be linked to from PCFC's homepage), a round table discussion was held to explore various programs and solutions.  An IPREEZ steering committee was formed.  This 10 member committee will contiue to push renewable energy sloutions to the forefront, especially concerning biomass and Northern Idaho.

FOREST EXPO 2009:  The date has been set!  This year's 6th Grade Forest Expo will be held on May 22nd at the Priest River Experimental Forest.  The content and structure of the Expo for will be much like last year's with a few changes.  Idaho Hill and Priest Lake's 6th graders will be attending this year as well the 6th graders from Priest River Elementary.

Our volunteers have all been notified, but we can always use more!

The Forest Expo has been favorably recognized by the Washington D.C. office of the Forest Service, by the Idaho Govenor's office, and by the Fort Collins office of the Rocky Mountain Research Station.

For more information or to join PCFC forces on the above enterprises, please contact Executive Director, Liz Johnson-Gebhardt @ 208-448-0210, or lizjg35@hotmail.com

Well, alot has taken place in PCFC's busy life!  We apologize for the delay in passing it on to all of you.  Since our great success with the first annual Forest Expo in May (see previous article), we have continued to sharpen our focus on our education programs.

Toni Fairchild, Priest River Lamanna High School's Forestry educator for the past three years, has moved to Utah.  In July, at PCFC's monthly meeting, we invited the new Forestry teacher, Jared Hughes to come and meet the Board and experience our support for these programs.  Jared has been with PRLHS for ten years.  We look forward to working with Jared and all  the students who choose to partake in the exciting field of forestry. 

In July the final report for the Willow Creek erosion study was written.  This study focused on using a wood strand product to reduce the amount of erosion on a decommissioned road in the Willow Creek basin north of Priest Lake.  The 2 year study was done in conjunction with Dr. Randy Foltz of the Rocky Mountain Research Station and Hydrologist, Jill Cobb of the Priest Lake District of the Forest Service.  Wood strands (a material made out of wood and looking much like straw) overwhelmingly out performed the wood chips and wheat straw it was compared to.  The Liz Claiborne/Art Ortenberg Foundation helped in funding this study through PCFC.

More signs of progress include PCFC's new office headquarters.  As of August 15th, PCFC moved across the street from Keyser House to 223 Main Street.  The new spacious office will include many resource materials for anyone who needs them, as well as a conference area for our monthly meetings.  It is important to PCFC that the general public realize this Resource Center is open to all.  By the end of the year, we hope to have window displays centering on our local forest environments.

Also noteworthy is the progress of the Highway 57 Corridor Project.  The Forest Service has put together a maintenance proposal for the highway that would, essentially, clear the right-of-way from about milepost 5 to milepost 40.  The public comment period closed on August 10th.  The FS project leader says the comments were mostly positive.  The scene is now set for the required field work and analysis reports to be completed and for a decision memo to be signed.  With luck, (meaning a low intensity fire season so that FS personnel aren't called out), we could see the project advertised by the end of the year.  This is good news.  PCFC has been facilitating this important safety project since December 2005!

PCFC recently sent out their quarterly newsletter in August with all these updates.  This newsletter is available to anyone who would like to put their name and address on our mailing list.  Get a hold of us at 208-448-0210.

The sun came up in a crystal blue sky and the birds welcomed 100 6th grade students and their 4 teachers, 15 Advanced Forestry students and their teacher and a host of parent chaparones to the Priest River Experimental Forest. The first annual Forest Expo rounded up 32 volunteers who gave everyone a fun, educational and exciting time.

The 10 stations, set up around the forest with festive white canopies, hosted one of ten teams at a time, showing them the different aspects of the forests that surround us. Forest Products had the kids digging around a trough of cedar chips trying to find quarters after they correctly guessed how much that trough of chips is worth.

Tree I.D. had kids pacing through the forest identifying all the major trees of North Idaho. Fish and Wildlife had an aquarium with fish, bird feeders and exciting stories. Forest Recreation had the kids participate in a skit depicting a "good camper" and a "bad camper" ~ complete with trash and a distracting, poorly maintained motorbike. Tree Management and Health had the kids using an increment borer to take core samples from trees.

The Harvesting Demonstration got the kids up close to a Valmet Harvester and Forwarder so they could all experience the high tech equipment being used in our forests.

Papermaking was a big deal with each student producing a piece of real paper embedded with dried flowers, leaves and ferns. The Experimental Forest Museum gave all the students a chance to see the remarkable history of the forest and the gadgets that were used in the past.

Each student also got up close and personal with the weather station which transmits all the weather information for the Priest River area.

The Fire in the Forest station started contained fires to explain the characteristics of fire and then demonstrated a small prescribed fire and put it out with a tanker truck. This was quite the hit.

The day closed out in the group area where Mr. Fulton's Team One was presented with their trophies for winning first place in this year's State Forestry Contest. Way to go!!

PCFC has been inudated with praise and thank you's from all those involved in this wonderful day. But most importantly, PCFC wants to thank the great volunteers and all the groups who donated to this program:

Mike Reynolds Logging, Helping Our Hometown, the Priest River Experimental Forest, and the Bonner County Commissioners.

THANKS! And join us next year.

For those of you who have been following the designing of PCFC's Forest Exposition for the Priest River 6th graders, we are only a month away from this exciting day long field trip!  On April 19th we will be holding an orientation meeting (and chili lunch) for all of our partners and volunteers.  The lunch will be held at the Experimental Forest conference room.  We will discuss the stations, the station schedule and the set-up of the Expo the day before.  Then we will break into small groups so that the station leaders can figure out their props and learning materials.  We are always needing more volunteers, so feel free to join us.  Give Liz a call at 208-448-0210.

The Priest Community Forest Connection (PCFC) has been gathering the pieces necessary to create a Forest Exposition for the Priest River Elementary (PRE) 6th graders for months and those pieces are starting to fit together.  After an exciting meeting with Bob Denner at the Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF) last Fall and with the four 6th grade teachers at PRE, the date for the Forest Expo was set: May 15th, 2008.

PCFC has been recruiting volunteers for the daylong Expo all winter and that list is starting to become impressive.  But that work is not yet over.  We have 12 teams of students, each needing "team leaders".  There are 9 Expo stations, all of which need volunteers to teach and involve the students.  There are logistics needing volunteers, such as bag lunches, transportation, games and entertainment at the Expo.  This sounds tempting, doesn't it?

A workbook has been created by PCFC for the teachers to engage the students in their awesome forest heritage.  This workbook will be used for several weeks before the Expo.  The classroom lessons include: Tree Indentification, Forest Management/Forest Products, Fire in the Forest, Forest Wildlife and Fisheries and Forest Recreation.  The Idaho Forest Products Commission has graciously offered to provide learning kiosks, tree I.D. pamphlets and pencils and bookmarkers.  But we are still looking for help in providing team hats and the workbooks for the students and help for providing lunches and transportation.

Nine stations will be set up for the students at the Priest River Experimental Forest: Tree Identification, Forest Management/Forest Products, Fire in the Forest, Forest Wildlife and Fisheries, Forest Recreation, the PREF Weather Station, PREF History, a tree harvesting demonstration, and if it is practical a local timber mill tour.

A rather energetic program?  You bet!  There's lots to know and lots to share when it comes to our forests.  PCFC is thrilled to have this challenge and opportunity along with so many partners to benefit our 6th grade students.  Join us!  Give the PCFC office a call ~ 208-448-0210 or e-mail executive director Liz at lizjg35@hotmail.com.

On June 24th, with much ado, Priest Community Forest Connection hosted a Lakeface-Lamb party at the all new Reynold's Creek Recreation Area. Brat, burgers and alot of laughter took place as nearly 50 people celebrated the success of the Lakeface-Lamb Stewardship Project.

Forest Service personnel (Norgy Asleson came all the way from Helena, MT!), past and present PCFC members and a number of the sub-contractors who have participated in the project brought delicious food and reminisced about the magnitude of the project and the ups and downs that have taken place. But the focus of the afternoon was to enjoy the relationships that have formed and will no doubt continue.

PCFC would like to thank everyone who has helped us make the Lakeface-Lamb project such a success. Our communities have benefitted from all of your efforts and that is unmatchable.

AND check out the "100 Years of Logging in Priest River" mural that's currently being put on the retaining wall along Highway 2 in Priest River. Very exciting! Congradulations Priest River Chamber of Commerce. (You can view the whole mural at www.priestriver.org/mural.)

PCFC has helped the Rocky Mountain Research Lab (RMRL) in Moscow, ID secure funds from Red Lodge Clearinghouse to finish a study on the use of wood strands to reduce erosion.  Dr. Randy Foltz of the RMRL and Jill Cobb, hydrologist with the Priest Lake District of the Forest Service (FS), developed a two part study on the use of wood strands.  This study is called the "Willow Creek Restoration Project."

Wood strands look like uniform sticks (about 1/4 inch wide) that vary in length (between 2 and 7 inches).  When these sticks are used to cover soil, they tend to interlock with one another, helping to reduce erosion of unstable soils.  Other materials that are traditionally used include hay or straw.  Wood strands have three clear advantages: 1) they do not carry noxious weeds; 2) they are available when certified weed-free straw/hay is not; 3) there is a possibility to produce and market this product locally out of currently under used forest materials.

The first year of this project study did show that wood strands are holding at 70% of their original effectiveness, whereas straw drops to 60% effectiveness.  The purpose of this second year of research will show the longevity and effectiveness of wood strands compared to traditional materials and compared to nothing being used for erosion control at all.

PCFC is excited about this new partnership with RMRL and the FS.  We hope to find that this product will be recommended for future use in many different restoration projects.  It could help local forests, local businesses and local contractors. 

We'll try and post some photos of the Willow Creek Restoration Project as we monitor it over the summer.  We'll also make sure we post the results of this study at the end of the year.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Priest Community Forest Connection is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors for some road construction and some road obliteration and conversion to trail work on the Priest Lake Ranger District, Priest Lake, Idaho. Interested bidders may obtain a bidder’s packet by contacting Steve Gibson, Project Manager, at 509.447.5916.  The RFP's are also posted on our website at www.communityforests.com.   (Click on "subcontractors.")   Proposals are due in the PCFC office no later than 1 PM, April 9, 2007.

PCFC celebrated the Lakeface-Lamb contract transfer at their monthly meeting on February 7th.  As the official prime contractor on this Forest Stewardship Project, PCFC has broken away from their longtime partner, the Priest River Development Corporation.  PRDC's financial support and highly respected stability helped form the foundation that PCFC will build off of for years to come.  PCFC is immensely grateful for the opportunity that PRDC gave us. 

Operation Plan 2007 was reviewed and okayed at the February meeting as well.  It will be a busy year with the Lakeface-Lamb project.  The goal is that we will wrap things up by the end of 2007.  Included in this year's activities:

~ timber harvesting on an additional 58 acres

~ road maintenance, obliteration and realignment        

~ the completion of the Recreation Shelter

~ slashing and piling of hazardous fuels 

~ burning 

~ tree planting 

~ the construction of a River Access 

~ the creation and installation of Interpretive Signs

Some of these activities are out for bid.  For further information, please contact the PCFC office @ 208-448-0210.

On top of all those exciting activities, PCFC is helping to facilitate the designing of a project known as the 57 Corridor Project.  This will involve the clearing of the right-of-way along State Highway 57 between Priest River and Priest Lake.  The removal of brush and trees along the highway will greatly improve visibility, the melting of ice and snow, and help to reduce traffic accidents.

Another project in the works is the development of a Family Forestry Expo for area youngsters and their families.  Stay tuned for updates on that exciting venture.

And as always, please contact us with ideas, suggestions and any information you feel would be helpful to our goal of hands-on, community-based solutions to our interdependent social, ecological and economic issues.  Thanks!

 UPDATES ~

The Priest Community Forest Connection (PCFC) and the Lamanna Law Firm have completed the necessary paperwork the Forest Service requires to transfer the Lakeface-Lamb Forest Stewardship contract.  Once this is approved, PRDC will no longer be listed as the prime contractor.  The PCFC will take full responsibility for the remainder of the contract.  The PCFC Board of Directors have been dealing with the day-to-day activities of the stewardship contract since May of 2002.  This transfer is taking place to benefit PCFC’s goals for the community and local forests by promoting beneficial forest projects in our region.  This enables local contractors to perform the work.  With the transfer of the Lakeface-Lamb contract, PCFC will gain recognition as well as a reputation for accomplishing successful activities, helping them to acquire future projects.

LAKEFACE-LAMB

 2006 IS A GREAT SUCCESS 

It’s been a very busy summer and Fall for the Lakeface-Lamb project.  After bringing Steve Gibson onboard, he and Liz Johnson-Gebhardt have shared the job of coordinating, implementing and inspecting a number of diverse activities. 

Of great importance is the burning of nearly 200 acres of slash that was left from harvest activities.  During the summer, PRDC and the FS came to an agreement to have the FS take back an additional 192 acres.  A 4200 ft. Riparian Fence was built along Lamb Creek on the Austin Raines ranch to prevent cattle from entering the water.  Clearing and grubbing, grading and gravel improvements were made on roads 1344, 1345, 1395, 313, 310, and the Lakeshore Road (237).  A new vault toilet was installed at the old CCC group camping area at Reynolds Creek.  And one of the most exciting activities taking place is the construction of the long awaited RECREATION SHELTER!  

Note: This is known to the Forest Service as the Warming Hut, but due to the design, which seems much more summer suitable, it has been lovingly renamed by the public.

 In 2007, we'll show play by play photos of the Recreation Hut's construction and an expose on PARADYCE BUILDERS, LLC.

At eight o’clock in the morning, it’s a bit unusual to have over 30 high school students buzzing with energy and enthusiasm. And on Friday, the 13^th at that! But the Priest River Lamanna High School Forestry class not only exhibited energy and enthusiasm, they boarded their bus prepared with impressive knowledge and headed north to the Priest Lake Information Center.

Greeted by Forest Service Forester, Jennifer Costich-Thompson and accompanied by educator-extraordinaire, Toni Fairchild, the students embarked on the first leg of their fieldtrip: the use of forestry instruments and the identification of tree, shrub and weed species.

Costich-Thompson demonstrated how to use a DBH (diameter-at-breast-height) and distance measuring tape, a clinometer (to measure the height of trees) and a increment borer (which exposes growth rings to show the age, growth ratio and health of trees). Many of the students stepped up and used the instruments.

Then down the Chipmunk Falls trail they all headed, Tree Species Handbooks and student-created recording booklets in hand. Costich-Thompson pointed out the major tree, shrub and weed species of this area, giving the common and latin names and the intricate distinctions of each species. The students then backtracked the trail, finding sporadic flagging throughout the forest. The flagging was tied to trees and plants that the students then identified in their booklets. And they did really well.

Back onto the bus for a well-deserved lunch. The students were then joined by Forest Service Fisheries Biologist, Matt Fairchild. He came equipped with waders, specimen vials and a large screen. On their way to the Dickensheet Campground on the Priest River, Ms. Fairchild reminded the students of their classroom discussions concerning the close relationship between healthy forests, soils and water.

Though there was some reluctance and a bit of whining, each student, in teams of 2, suited up in waders and entered a shallow portion of the river. By rustling up the streambed with their feet, upstream from the catch-net, the teams of students caught a large variety of specimens that they deposited into lab trays. This included minnows which were immediately released. Each team picked through their lab trays and filled vials with bugs, algae, even aquatic egg sacks, to take back to the classroom for examination under microscopes and careful documentation.

This is the 3^rd round of Forestry classes that have headed out for an extraordinary learning experience since 2005. With the amazing efforts of Instructor Toni Fairchild, along with support from the Priest Community Forest Connection and the Priest Lake Ranger District of the Forest Service, this forestry program has grown from one class per year to 4 classes per year. And the PRLHS Forestry Team is ranking high in the State Forestry Contest as well, proving that hard work and fun do add up to success.

The Priest Community Forest Connection had somehwat of a summer hiatus ~ albeit involuntary.  The Lakeface-Lamb project went through an unexpeted personnel change. Our Board of Directors assigned Jeff Connolly and Liz Johnson-Gebhardt as Interim Project Managers for the months of June, July and August.

At the end of July, Steve Gibson of Four Seasons Forestry (Newport, WA), was hired as the Lkfc-Lb Project Manager.  He will oversee the remainder of the roadwork, fuels reduction work and the burning activities coming up this Fall.

There are other activities in the works as well.  The building of a Recreation Hut will be taking place near Reynolds Creek at the group camping area.  (A new, ultra modern toilet was installed there this past summer as part of the Lkfc-Lb project.)  Also in the works is the River Access for fishing, rafting, kayaking, etc., just below the Outlet Dam on the Priest River.  The Interpretive and Information Signs are still in the works and should be installed by early Spring.

With the success of the Lkfc-Lb project, as well as the successes of the Priest Community Forest Connection, Priest River Development Corporation ~ the present prime contractor of the Lkfc-Lb contract ~ is in the midst of transferring the contract to the PCFC.  this should enable the group to continue their work with forest projects that benefit our local communities and forests. 

Any questions?  Let us know!  And we will do our best to be in better contact with all of you from now on.

With 95 degrees predicted, the Priest River Lamanna High School Forestry class wasn't overly enthused for a field trip to Angelo Nacarrato's property. But educator Toni Fairchild and PCFC Director Liz Johnson-Gebhardt got the students on the bus and they made the 5 mile trip north of Priest River. The group trekked up a dusty trail and found a Valmet harvester and forwarder at work and suddenly everyone's enthusiasm blossomed.

Mike Reynolds, owner and chief boss of MRL, taught the students how the state-of-the-art harvester operates, the costs of operation, the amount of training an operator needs and how much a job running one of these machines pays. The students asked questions about how it's decided which tree will be cut and why they leave certain trees. They each climed into the cab of the harvester and were awed at the size of the machine, the comfort of the operator's chair, the stereo (of course), and how there are 5 computers that help the harvester run efficiently.

James Huling, MRL forwarder operator, showed the students how the forwarder collects the harvested timber and separates the logs according to quality: pulp, hew wood and saw logs. He explained the differences of those qualities and how those "log sorts" help us to use every part of the tree to the fullest.

PCFC would like to congradulate the PRLHS Forestry class on their very impressive performance at the Idaho State Forestry Contest on May 11th. Way to go!

The Priest Community Forest Connection has been busy with projects, proposals, field trips and the Priest River Lamanna High School Forestry class.

On April 12th at our annual meeting, the Board and general membership hired Liz Johnson-Gebhardt as the Executive Director for next year.  She has been acting director since April 2005.

On April 17th, PCFC president, Cliff Ackerman, vice-president, Jeff Connolly and Johnson-Gebhardt helped to facilitate a field trip with various entities to discuss the proposed Highway 57 Corridor project.  This project focuses on clearing the right-of-way easement along the highway and thinning the zone beyond the easement of hazard trees in order to improve public safety.  Dense growth right up to the pavement leaves downed trees in the traffic lanes, prevents travelers from seeing wildlife, and slows the thawing of frost, ice and snow ~ all of which greatly affects the safety of travelers.

The field trip participants included representatives from the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and the Regional Office of the Forest Service, the Idaho Transportion Department, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Bonner County BONFIRE program, a Pend Oreille Valley Fiber contract manager and PCFC members.  A great deal of brainstorming and discussion took place during a half dozen stops along the highway.  The ITD will write up their basic criteria for right-of-way clearing and maintenance, the FS will set forth forest work concepts and priority areas and the IDL and BONFIRE will attempt to incorporate private landowners into the project.  PCFC will continue to facilitate the mechanics of putting this project together and may participate in the project's implementation.

On another note: PCFC members Connolly, Johnson-Gebhardt and Steve Linton travelled to Portland, Oregon onApril 18th to attend a three day National Forest Foundation workshop.  NFF granted PCFC $15,000 in 2005 to "start-up" their group.  The workshop concentrated on Board and membership development, fundraising, public outreach and developing and/or maintaining a working relationship with the Forest Service.

And even more exciting!  The Priest River Lamanna High School Forestry Class made its second foray into the forest on April 25th to practice using compasses and orienteering.  This group of 17 students and educator, Toni Fairchild, are an enthusiastic, hardworking, fun group.  PCFC is honored to be out there helping them.

Coming up?  PCFC will head out to some local private property on May 10th (as part of their monthly meeting) to see if it will work as the site location for our proposed Forestry Expo.

The Forestry class made a trip north from Priest River to Chipmunk Falls for an on-site experience. Educator, Toni Fairchild, Forest Service Forester, Jennifer Costich-Thompson, and PCFC Director Liz Johnson-Gebhardt accompanied fourteen students while they spent 4 1/2 hours traipsing in the rain and through the snow learning about trees, shrubs, and noxious weeds species. After an extensive, hands-on tutorial with Ms. Costich-Thompson and a lunch in the warm school bus, the students went back out into the field with assigned partners. Their exercise was to identify all the trees, shrubs and weed species that had been previously flagged. Using their classroom experience and their notes, the students went back through the forest, examined each species and filled in their required lists.

After that exercise was completed, the students learned about the tools a forester uses. They took a sample core from a Douglas-fir with a tree borer. They were mesmerized to see the growth patterns ~ when the tree grew well and when it went through times of stress. Some of the students even experimented with a clinometer which is used to measure tree height.

In the future, the PCFC will help the Forestry Class with more field trips. They will receive hands-on experience with compasses and will cruise a stand of timber. Another trip will involve more intensive noxious weed education. Also, they will visit a site where modern harvester/forwarder, cut-to-length machinery will be working.

Below, Forester Jennifer Costich-Thompson (closest to tree) helps local students understand the complexities of tree growth.

The Priest Community Forest Connection held their monthly meeting on March 8th at the Keyser House in Priest River, ID.

Guest speakers from the Priest Lake Ranger District of the Forest Service were on hand to present and discuss the future LAKEVIEW-REEDER FUELS REDUCTION PROJECT.  This project will take place on 31,000 acres between Kalispell Bay, Hanna Flats and the Bismark Mtn. area in the south, to Indian Mtn., Granite Mtn., and the Copper Bay area to the north.  There are several different possble treatments to help reduce the hazardous fuels plagueing this area. Jennifer Costich-Thompson and District Ranger, Kathy Murphy explained the project and answered extensive questions.  This project is currently in the scoping period and the Priest Lake District is welcoming questions and comments from the public.  CONTACT project leader, Dave Cobb: dcobb@fs.fed.us or at 208-443-6854.

                   Get the information!  Get involved!

UPDATE ON THE HIGHWAY 57 CORRIDOR PROJECT

PCFC members Jeff Connolly, Cliff Ackerman and Liz Johnson-Gebhardt met with Idaho Transportation Department representatives, Shannon Thornton and Monty Russell, on March 3rd.  These folks bounced around preliminary ideas, listed concerns and issues, and established a positive,"let's go forward" atmosphere.  PCFC members will now meet with Priest Lake District personnel (on March 15th) to get their input.  A joint meeting will be scheduled in the near future.

The PCFC has changed their monthly meeting night to the Wednesday (instead of the Tuesday) that falls between the 4th and the 12th of each month.  This month's meeting is on Wednesday, March 8th @ 6 pm.  We meet in the upstairs conference room at Keyser House, 301 Montgomery St., Priest River.

On the agenda so far this month:

     ~ The USFS Lakeview-Reeder project (Dave Cobb)

     ~ P.R. Lamanna High School Forestry class (Toni Fairchild)

     ~ The Hwy. 57 Corridor fuels reduction project (Jeff, Cliff, Liz)

     ~ Strategic Planning 2006 update (Board of Directors & members)

There are a number of projects the Priest Community Forest Connection is looking forward to working on this year.  At this time we are working with the Priest River Lamanna High School Science department, helping them acquire needed equipment and supplies for the Forestry class.  In the making is a small number of summer mini-courses that will be open to the general public and may count as school credits for students.  The courses have not been developed yet, but will include a number of natural resource topics and will consist of classroom and in-the-field time.

Another potential project is to do some clearing in the right-of-way along Highway 57 from Priest River to Priest Lake.  With miles and miles of dead and dying trees, there is a dangerous hazard from falling trees at all times of the year, but especially during the winter when we receive heavy snows.  Because of the overstocked forest and the fact that the trees grow right up to the highway shoulder, there tend to be a lot of accidents with wildlife.  The thick overstory decreases the sunlight onto the road and so there is a build-up of ice and frost making driving treacherous.  And then there is the awful noxious weed issue that needs to have attention.  The PCFC will work with the Idaho Transportation Department, with the Forest Service and with private landowners to put together a collaborative project to take care of some of these concerns. 

And there's more to come!  Stay tuned ...