Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 2.24.16

NEWS
CITY BEAT
PABLO
Board Names New Salish Kootenai College President
The board of directors at Salish Koote- nai College announced the appointment of Dr. Sandra Boham as president.
Boham previously served as the vice president of academic a airs for the col- lege in Pablo. She replaces Robert DePoe III, who passed away in December after battling a terminal illness.
Boham is a member of the Confeder- ated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Boham has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Montana, a master’s degree in adult and higher education from Montana State University and a doctorate in education leadership from UM.
In a news release, Boham stated her priorities as president are advancing STEM academics for high school stu- dents; adding a bachelor’s degree pro- gram in tribal governance and admin- istration; adding EMT training; devel- oping a mentor/protégé agreement with Northrop Grumman, a leading global security company; adding classes at no charge for the community in Salish lan- guage in the evening; and strengthening tribal culture preservation and perpetu- ation e orts.
“We are pleased that Dr. Boham has accepted the position of President,” Board member Ellen Swaney stated. “Dr. Boham has been a member of the admin- istrative team since she was hired as Aca- demic Vice President and we value her knowledge, leadership and commitment to the college.”
Salish Kootenai College is a Native
FLATHEAD
Noxious Weeds Focus
of Community Workshop
The yellow and white Oxeye daisy looks like an innocent ower, one you might even plant near your house, but state and local o cials say that would be a grave mistake. That’s because the Oxeye daisy is one of the nearly three-dozen invasive plants listed on Montana’s nox- ious weed list.
Local residents and land owners will be able to learn more about the Oxeye daisy and many other invasive plants at an upcoming noxious weed workshop at Flathead Valley Community College on March 3 and 9. The Flathead Conserva- tion District, the Montana Department of Agriculture, the Montana State Univer- sity Flathead County Extension, CHS, Glacier National Park, Flathead County Weed Department and the U.S. Forest Service are sponsoring the workshop.
The workshop will teach participants how to properly identify weeds and how to safely dispatch them with chemical or non-chemical remedies.
“We want to give people a baseline of knowledge so that they can work on
American tribal college based in Pablo and was founded in 1977.
KALISPELL
Broussard Named to Eventing Hall of Fame
The late Rebecca “Becky” Broussard, founder of a world-renowned equestrian triathlon held every July in the Flathead Valley, was inducted into the United States Eventing Association (USEA) Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious hon- ors in the sport.
Broussard founded The Event at Rebecca Farm in 2001, and in the years since it has grown into a major economic catalyst for the Flathead, attracting over 10,000 spectators and bringing millions of dollars to the region each year. It has also given Kalispell global recognition in the equestrian sporting scene. The Event is the largest equestrian triathlon in the U.S. and one of the biggest in the world.
Former USEA President Kevin Baumgardner called Broussard “hands down, the most important person in eventing in the Western United States and arguably the most important person in eventing in the entire nation.”
Broussard passed away on Christmas Eve 2010 after a battle with cancer. She was born in Jeanerette, Louisiana, on Feb. 17, 1942. After earning a nursing degree from the University of Evans- ville in Indiana, she worked as a nurse in places as varied as Kentucky and Jamaica before arriving in the Flathead.
In Broussard’s honor, Flathead Valley Community College built the 32,000-square-foot Rebecca Chaney
their own weed issues,” said Kima Cad- dell, a plant science specialist with the Department of Agriculture. “We want to increase the level of education about nox- ious weeds in our community.”
Dawn LaFleur, Glacier National Park’s supervisory biologist, said there are 126 non-native plants in the park, 17 of which are considered noxious in Montana. LaF- leur, who will be presenting a weed iden- ti cation seminar during the March 3 workshop, said non-native plants are often transferred by humans, sometimes purely for aesthetics.
“Noxious weeds can disrupt an entire ecosystem,” she said.
This is the second year the workshop has been held and last year more than 200 people attended the event each night. Organizers said the event would be espe- cially bene cial for people who own or manage ve to 50 acres. The event is free and open to the public. A limited number of gloves, safety glasses, measuring cups and other useful weed control supplies will also be given out at the event. But more importantly, useful information will be distributed for all.
“We want to help people meet their land use goals while also meeting local
Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Science, which opened in 2013. The Broussard family gifted $4 million to the college for construction.
WHITEFISH
City Establishes
Climate Action Task Force
The city of White sh is sending up a test balloon to measure the feasibility of and interest in a community climate action plan in an e ort to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
The North Valley Climate Action Task Force will hold its rst meeting on Tues- day, March 1 in White sh. Formed to develop local solutions to the challenges of a warming climate, the task force will meet at 7 p.m. at the White sh Commu- nity Library.
The task force is open to anyone who shares an interest in understanding local impacts related to climate change and working collaboratively on local solutions.
Initial topics that have been discussed include the growing risk of forest re, impacts to water quality and quantity, economic opportunities and challenges, expanded local food production, and public health concerns such as wild re smoke. The task force also will explore ways to increase energy conservation, expand renewable energy options, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The White sh City Council has appointed councilors Pam Barberis and Richard Hildner to represent the city on the task force with the goal of develop- ing a community climate action plan. A
and state regulations,” said MSU Exten- sion Agent Patricia McGlynn.
The noxious weed workshop is being held at FVCC’s Art’s and Technology Building Room 139 on March 3 and 9. For more information, call the Flathead Conservation District at (406)752-4220.
FLATHEAD
Warm Weather Halts Logging Operations Earlier Than Usual
Golf courses are already open and logging operations are already halted in Northwest Montana, where unseason- ably warm weather has ipped the cal- endar by at least a month.
Polson Bay Golf Course began accept- ing the rst tee times of the year last week amid warm, sunny skies.
The temperatures in Kalispell have been 6.4 degrees warmer than the monthly average in February, accord- ing to the National Weather Service. The mercury hit a monthly high of 51 degrees on Feb. 16 and surpassed 40 degrees all but once from Feb. 8 through Feb. 22, when the Beacon went to print.
The warm temps are not welcome news to everyone.
F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. in
diverse range of local organizations and individuals have indicated interest in participating.
The task force agenda will start with a review of climate solution projects ini- tiated in other Montana communities, including Red Lodge, Missoula, Bozeman and Helena.
Steve Thompson, a White sh resident and climate activist who spearheaded the local climate action plan, said the suc- cess of other communities is encourag- ing, particularly as White sh has already demonstrated a commitment to sustain- able practices.
Thompson said he hopes the task force’s scope includes a city-speci c plan and a broader plan that might involve the North Valley, including White sh, Columbia Falls, the canyon area, and Glacier National Park. He said he recently met with several dozen area stakeholders interested in participating.
Thompson said the federal govern- ment’s inaction on programs to mitigate climate change shouldn’t prevent com- munity-led e orts from taking steps to mitigate the a ects of climate change locally.
“The great thing about White sh is we already have a lot of great things happen- ing in the valley. Flathead Electric has its solar array, we’ve protected our water supply in Haskill Basin, the local food movement is really vibrant and there is a lot of enthusiasm around it,” Thomp- son said. “The task force will build on that momentum and identify other next steps.”
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Columbia Falls temporarily laid o its night shift of 12 employees because of for- est road conditions. The so-called spring break-up has lead to thawing roads that hamper logging trucks from traveling to and from harvest sites.
This year’s spring break-up has arrived almost a month earlier than usual, according to Chuck Roady, direc- tor at F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. Spring break-up is a term used for the period when wet, muddy conditions pre- vent loggers and haulers from working until road conditions improve.
“We’d sure like it to be cold and fro- zen for a little longer,” he said. “Mother Nature holds the trump card.”
Roady said this is the earliest arrival of spring break-up in recent years.
Stoltze had enough supply to keep the day shift running, Roady said.
The Flathead County Commissioners are slated to vote Feb. 24 on load limits for county roads.
The Flathead River Basin is at 96 per- cent of the median average for snowpack. The Kootenai River Basin is at 93 percent of median.
NEWS
COUNTY BEAT
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FEBRUARY 24, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM