The natural environment and history of Kalispell’s West Valley area
by Jeanine Buettner
nammy@montanasky.com
Edmond Kelley was born in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, on April 18, 1860 and was educated and lived in Pennsylvania until coming to Montana in 1885, first locating in Butte and then moving to the Flathead Valley in 1887. He spent his first night in Somers. He was told that the valley farther up had some value as a range for cattle but of no value for farming. The next day he walked to the site that would later become Demersville.
by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
July is filled with awe-inspiring sights; it is hard to decide what is most representative of the month. Fields, forest, hilltops, and more. . .read on to see some of the things that I’ve observed in this busy month.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
These photos are of a barn off of Clark Road. The barn is on a homestead that was settled by the Clark family in 1898. The barn itself was constructed in 1909, before there was a Farm to Market Road linking the nascent agricultural area of West Valley to markets in Kalispell.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
The historic Ray Kuhn’s homestead off Farm-to-Market Road between Kalispell and Whitefish is under MFWP management as the Kuhn’s WMA (wildlife management area). 100 acres of the 1556.5A parcel are leased for farming to improve the soil, control noxious weeds, and provide food and cover to benefit deer and upland game birds. In this article, you can read more about this public resource in our community.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
Spring is in full swing! Everywhere you look, something is bursting with color, singing exuberantly, or growing so fast you can almost hear the cells expanding! I could almost hear the bells ringing as I lay in the damp grass looking at a patch of Twin flowers! Here are some of my favorite images taken in the third month of Spring.
Continue Reading →by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org
Winter is melting into summer. Every day is a surprise: will the snow retreat today? or will we experience a fall-back into freezing temperatures and even get some snow? When will we see some green in the in the cold, black soil of fields that were sown last fall? When will we see the first-of-the-year (FOY) Sandhill Crane? Who can guess correctly the day of ice-out on the potholes? How many geese, ducks, swans fit in the one open pool? Are those trees really starting to blossom? Will I be able to leave that heavy coat home? Read further for some of my FOY’s!
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Wheat is grown throughout the West Valley area and is one of the most important crops in the valley. And while most wheat is processed for human consumption, it’s also an important source of food for a variety of local wildlife.
Continue Reading →