The Kootenai Creek Fire in the Bitteroot Valley

The Kootenai Fire started west of Stevensville, Montana on July 12, 2009. Lightning struck in the Kootenai Canyon on a steep rock face about 2 miles into the wilderness. The Bitterroot Valley has had few fires compared to years past, yet this is the one that wouldn’t go away.

On August 5, it was about 2000 acres. On August 31 it grew to near 2685 acres still burning mostly in a rocky avalanche shoot with some brush and timber including Lodgepole Pine, Sub-Alpine Fir and Whitebark Pine.

On Saturday, September 19, the strong winds caused it to “blow up” to over 44oo acres and send embers to drainages north and south. Spot fires resulted and now that there was more timber for fuel, smoke began to tumble out and into the valley. Highway 93 near Stevensville had very low visibility for a few days but is better now.

On Sunday, September 20, it was significantly less active. Modest growth occured around much of the fire’s perimeter, and fire managers estimate Sunday’s growth to be 100 acres, for a total of 4535 acres.

Until Sunday, Forest officials had used helicopter water drops and only a few ground firefighters because the fire was burning on steep slopes in conditions that were too risky and private property was not immediately threatened. Those conditions changed and more resources were ordered.

Firefighting resources arrived at the fire throughout the day on Sunday. Dozers working with Hotshot and Initial Attack crews established 7 miles of dozer and hand-dug indirect fire lines from Bass Creek across and through Kootenai, Larson, and Sharrott drainages connecting to the Forest Service Road #739 in St. Mary’s drainage.

Mike Fritsen’s Type III Incident Command Team was briefed by Forest officials late Sunday afternoon and has taken over management of the fire as of Monday.

The Bass Creek, Kootenai Creek and Sharrott Creek drainages and the road and trail system in the St. Mary’s drainage remain closed to public use to protect public safety and to reduce traffic on the road systems while firefighters are active in the area. The Stage 1 Pre-evacuation Alert & Warning remains in effect for homeowners west of the Sharrott Hill Loop at the west end of the South and Middle Kootenai Creek Roads. No evacuations have been ordered at this time.

Sunday was much cooler but warmer, dryer and less windy weather is predicted for the remainder of the week.

Residents in the possible evacuation zones have had an outpouring of help from the community especially to help transport and board horses and other animals. A resource for dogs, cats and barnyard livestock as space allows is the Bitterroot Humane Society. For horses, the Willing Servants which saw its start with a high-profile equine abuse case, is there to help.

Many people have voiced dismay at not “putting it out” especially at town meetings, yet residents affected feel that the Forest Service is doing a good job and, with the new resources, will get control of the fire soon. Most have moved livestock, are packed and ready to go yet hoping they won’t have to.

Log on to RavalliRepublic.com to read other stories and comment if you choose.

To see all the photos in a new window click Merle’s SmugMug Kootenai Fire Photos.

Fly Fishing the Blackfoot River in an August Rain Storm

Nick Stipich is a talented Missoula area guide and Jack loves working with him. We all had an open day so we fished the lower Blackfoot River on Friday. Fishing with guides is the best way to really know their strengths and match them up well with clients.

Our day started out nice, but we got a big rain and wind storm about noon and had some rain, wind and clouds through out the rest of the day. We caught fish on dry flies and streamers. Our faithful companions Freda and Flicka came along. We used Nick’s RO Drift boat, had plenty of room and skimmed over most of the rocks.

The slideshow below shows the trip and some of the features of the lower Blackfoot. It is beautiful!

See all the photos in a new window, click on Merle’s SmugMug Blackfoot River in August

A Photo Journal of Eastern and Central Idaho

These photos were taken July 7, 2009 as we traveled through the Snake River Plain and include Gilmore, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Arco and Twin Falls, Idaho.

Excerpt from wikipedia.org: The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about 400 miles (640 km) westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho. Three major buttes dot the plain east of Arco, the largest being Big Southern Butte.

Many of Idaho’s major cities are in the Snake River Plain as is much of its agricultural land. Also located within Snake River Plain is the Idaho National Laboratory.

Click Merle’s SmugMug Idaho Roadtrip Album to see all the photos in a new window.

Sierra Footsteps of the Me-Wuk Tribe – Northern California

On July 9-12 my friend, Nancy, and I participated in a workshop with the Me-Wuk tribe in northern California. On my Picasa photo site are photos of workshop members making baskets, digging sticks, acorn processing, soaproot brush making and more.

On the last morning of the workshop, Gladys McKinney, Jennifer Bates, Kimberly Stevenot, Arvada Fisher, and Kathy Wallace talked with us about customs, materials, tools, designs, processes and much more. There are a lot of photos, but these baskets, etc are the real deal. So, enjoy!

Click here to see Merle’s SmugMug photo site for the Me-Wuk Footsteps in the Sierra’s

North Fork of the Stanislaus River in northern CA – at dawn

My friend Nancy and I traveled from the Bitterroot Valley to the Stanislaus National Forest for a workshop in northern California Native American Arts, Crafts, and Plant Use. I haven’t posted for a few weeks because of the trip and the work load when I returned. This post, and many more will show photos of the trip through Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and California, and the workshop itself. To see photos as I post them online, click this link for Merle’s Picasa Photo Site.

These photos were taken just after dawn – about 6:20 am – at the Wa Ka Luu Hep Yoo (Wild River) Campground, California.

• 3900 foot elevation.
• 49 campsites near the North Fork of the Stanislaus River.
• Good fishing for wild brown and rainbow trout. Late season deer hunting. Nearby fishing, picnic/day use area, river shore trails, and whitewater boating launch.
• Campground is located on the site of an ancient Me-Wuk Indian village, within the Sourgrass Recreation Complex.
• Significant Native American artifacts such as grinding stones and middens have been preserved.
• Location: From Altaville, go northeast on CA 4 to Dorrington, then northeast on Boards Crossing Road across the river.
• Address: Calaveras Ranger DistrictStanislaus National ForestP.O. Box 500Hathaway Pines, CA 95233
• Phone: (209) 795-1381
• Season: June – October
• Fee: yes
• Reservations: NO

See my SmugMug slideshow link for more photos of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River at Dawn.