Annual Opening Day Celebration at The Heritage Museum in Libby
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“Kootenai People Presentation” at noon by Loretta Hoots of the Kootenai Tribe, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Salish and Kootenai of the Flathead Reservation in Pablo, MT, will be in the Swamp Creek Community Hall log building behind the main building.
Outdoor Events:
The Museum cookhouse will be open all day for grilled hamburgers, hot dogs & chili, chips, water/sodas, & homemade desserts.
Craft & Direct Sales vendors will be under the trees in the shade all day.
The Museum grounds will contain multiple working exhibits such as blacksmithing, grinding, gold panning, and rides in a model-T car, etc. throughout the day.
The 1932 Fire Truck and “Sparky” will appear at 10 a.m.
“Smokey the Bear” from the Kootenai National Forest will make an appearance between 11 a.m. and noon.
Live Band – Big Sky Bow’s & Blowhards will perform at 11 a.m.
The Heritage Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Visit the website at www.libbyheritagemuseum.org to learn more or to contribute to our Roof Replacement Project. Support for the Museum comes from members, visitors, and the local business community, not taxes. Past visitors tell us they are amazed by the quality and quantity of the collection that local community volunteers have preserved, interpreted, and displayed to remember the past way of life in our area. Please consider a contribution to the Roof Fund. Thank you again for your support. If you have questions, you can: 1) call the Museum at (406) 293-7521 and leave a message, or 2) send an email to heritagemuseum@frontier.com; someone will get back to you.
Photo courtesy of Sherry Turner
Finding & Photographing Yaak Wildlife & Landscapes
Join us as we enjoy the unique experience of finding and photographing wild birds, mammals, and the remote and beautiful water and landscapes of the extreme northwest corner of the Big Sky State. We’ll meet at 9 a.m., MOUNTAIN TIME on Saturday, May 21, 2022, at the Yaak River Tavern & Mercantile located in the community of Yaak, Montana, at 29238 Yaak River Road. Folks can call 406-295-4706, or email yaakrivertavern@gmail.com for directions, and paved road access is now available up to Yaak both from Libby and Troy.
Brian Baxter, long time forester and wildlife field researcher with over 44 years experience working in the northwest, will share tips and techniques on how to find and approach wildlife, what habitats to search for certain species, and how to identify various birds and wildlife. Short walks on private lands and road tour. Participants should come with full gas tanks,
dressed properly for an outdoor outing, and bring water, lunch, good footwear, binoculars, spotting scopes, bird I.D. books, and a good sense of humor. All Participants MUST REGISTER for this class. For more info, and to register call 406-291-2154, or email b_baxter53@yahoo.com.
Photographer Randy Beacham will demonstrate outdoor photography tips such as lighting techniques, how to expose for various outdoor conditions and weather, and how to look for and compose dynamic photos of wildlife in the landscape. Randy will also show and discuss what he packs in his camera bag on a typical photo outing and why. Randy Beacham has been working at storytelling with his camera for over 26 years. You can view Randy’s work on line at randybeacham.photoshelter.com and at instagram.com/yaakmontanaphotos. Spaces limited, wrap up at approx. 2:30 p.m. mountain time.
Submitted by Brian Baxter.
FWP asking the public to
report snapping turtle sightings in Montana
Submitted by
Dillon Tabish
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking for help from the public in reporting snapping turtle sightings anywhere west of the Continental Divide.
In Montana, snapping turtles are a native species east of the Divide, but they are non-native west of the Divide and can cause significant harm to native populations of pond-dwelling species like frogs, turtles, snakes, ducks, and fish.
Snapping turtles typically end up in waterways outside their native range through illegal releases of animals kept as pets. It is illegal to dump aquarium pets into waterbodies, but unfortunately unwanted aquarium pets are still repeatedly released into natural waterways. These releases usually occur at ponds or river access sites located near urban areas and can result in long-term negative impacts.
FWP is trying to find where snapping turtles may be living to minimize the potential negative impacts. Western Montana’s only native turtle species is the painted turtle, which have a bright orange underside and generally do not grow to more than a foot long. Snapping turtles can get much larger and have noticeably longer tails, often with a spiky ridge extending down their length. Snapping turtles also have large heads and distinctive hooked upper beaks.
If you have information on the possible sighting of a snapping turtle in northwest Montana, please contact Jessy Coltrane at (406) 751-4584 or email jcoltrane@mt.gov. For a possible sighting in west-central Montana, contact Torrey Ritter at (406) 542-5551 or torrey.ritter@mt.gov.
The “Don’t Let It Loose” campaign provides information to pet owners about rehoming unwanted pets. For the health of your pet, and the safety of our native wildlife, it’s never OK to release animals. Learn more at www.dontletitloose.com.