Scotchman Peaks Announcements

Here come the painters! It’s the Plein Air Paint Out!

September 2nd, 2011

Come check out the 4th Annual Scotchman Peaks Plein Air Paint Out! For the fourth year, twenty talented local and regional artists will converge on Hope, ID, to put on canvas their unique vision of our favorite wilderness. More details here.

Interested in helping out with a GRIZZLY BEAR study?

September 2nd, 2011

Seeing wildlife in the backcountry is one of the exciting opportunities available in our area. A number of animals which are found in few other places call Northern Idaho and Northwestern Montana home. The Grizzly Bear is one of those; with a small population and a reclusive nature, a Grizzly sighting is a rare treat! Interested? READ ON.

Forest Service and FSPW Volunteers rework the “Pillick Face”

August 3rd, 2011

The east end of Pillick Ridge on the Kootenai National Forest in Montana is one steep piece of ground — the “Pillick Face,” Forest Service Recreation Technician Joel Sather calls it — which is why portions of Forest Service Trail #1036 were in danger of falling off of it.

Thanks to a trail crew from the Cabinet Ranger District and volunteers from Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, though, the trail is now more securely attached.

You can read all about it here.

Friends of Scotchman Peaks help with STOKR bike ride May 14

May 18th, 2011

FSPW volunteers were on hand May 14 to help with the 17th annual STOKR (Scenic Tour of Kootenai River), a biking fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity in Libby, Montana. Read more here.

Cate Huisman blogs about Mustelids and the Scotchmans.

May 17th, 2011

Sandpoint writer Cate Huisman posted a story about our joint project with Idaho Department of Fish and Game looking for wolverines and other rare forest carnivores in the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Read her blog post on New West Community Blogs.

Scotchman Peaks Plein Air Artist teaching in Sandpoint

April 27th, 2011

Robert Bissett, recipient of the Best of Show award for the 2010 Scotchman Peaks Plein Air Paintout will teach a beginning oil paint class for the Sandpoint Arts Alliance.

Bissett will help new artists experience the fun and joy of oil painting with the new water mixable oils. This class is designed for beginning oil painters. Learn to mix any color using the three primary colors, plus black and white. Learn how to do the ‘Daily Warmup’ and other tips and techniques. Brushes, canvas panels, paints and palette knife are provided and yours to take home. The entire painting process, from idea to final touch, will be demonstrated. Robert Bissett is an award-winning artist; view his work at www.buildart.com/beginning_oil.htm

The class size is limited to 8, and total cost is $175

OR, you may bring your own supplies: paints, brushes, knife and canvas panels and pay $100. Please do not bring mineral spirits or turpentine. Use Sporny Solution (no VOCs) instead.

Use this link to sign up: http://www.artsalliance.info/classes.shtml#oil

New notecards will help spread the word about art and FSPW

April 13th, 2011

FSPW has published a beautiful set of note cards featuring the art of plein air painters Greg Caudell, Aaron Johnson, Jared Shear and Kenny Olson. FSPW will use the cards for various things, including individual thank-yous, donor appreciation gifts and a limited amount of retail sales of sets of four. To read more, click here.

Track these Spring classes to better woods savvy.

April 12th, 2011

April and May offer six opportunities for Friends to learn their way better around the woods. These classes are all facilitated by Brian Baxter, one of our FSPW volunteers and hike leaders.

April 16th: NIC-Ponderay: Forest Botany: Contact: Terry Cruz at: 208-769-3296 or email: tlcruz@nic.edu

April 23rd: FVCC-Kalispell: Forest Botany: Contact: Deb Struck at: 406-756-3835 or email: dstruck@fvcc.edu

April 30th: FVCC-Kalispell: Hunter’s of the Night Sky: Contact: same as above.

May 7th: FVCC-Libby: Hunter’s of the Night Sky: Contact: Andrea Wandler at: 406-293-2721 or email: awandler@fvcc.edu

May 14th: FVCC-Libby: Forest Botany: Contact: same as above.

May 21st: Glacier Institute: Wildlife Ecology of the Bison Range: Contact: Maria at: 406-755-1211 or check website: www.glacierinstitute.org

Earthday events upcoming in Sandpoint, Bonners and Coeur d’ Alene

April 8th, 2011

April 22 and 23: Earthday North Idaho (A Volunteer Opportunity)

FSPW will participate in Earthday programs in Sandpoint on Friday, April 22 and both Coeur d’ Alene and Bonners Ferry on Saturday, April 23. This annual celebration will be highlighted by the visit of the premier historian of the wilderness movent, Doug Scott. Scott, author and wilderness advocate for over 30 years, was one of the original founders of Earthday, and will speak at the Sandpoint Earthday event, to be held at the Sandpoint Events Center from 4 to 8 p.m. If you would like to help at the FSWP tables at any of the events, please click on the link “volunteer opportunity”or e-mail sandy@scotchmanpeaks.org

April 15: International Wildlife Film Festival at the Panida Theater.

April 2nd, 2011

SHS club presents wildlife films at the Panida (A Volunteer Opportunity).

The Sandpoint High School Outdoor Adventure Club, under the tutelage of FSPW volunteer and teacher John Hastings, will present the International Wildlife Film Festival at the Panida on Friday, April 15. The doors open at 7:00, and admission is $10 at the door, $8 in advance at All Seasons Garden Center, Eichardt’s Pub, Sandpoint Outfitters, or from any high school Adventure Club member, $6 under 12. FSPW will have a table at the show. If you are interested in helping with the table, please click on the link “volunteer opportunity”or e-mail sandy@scotchmanpeaks.org

April 13 presentation offers a look at the Continental Divide Trail

April 2nd, 2011

FSPW exec Phil Hough and Deb Hunsicker, long distance hikers extraordinaire, will present a program on hiking Continental Divide on Wednesday, April 13. This program, co-sponsored by Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, begins at 6 p.m. at Sandpoint Community Hall. A slideshow, “Wildflowers, Wild Lands and Wild Times Along the Continental Divide,” will chronicle a three-summer hike linking Canada and Mexico and the spectacular landscape and plants along the way. Admission is free. Donations will benefit FSPW and the Native Plant Society.

The last StoryTelling Company of the season is April 10.

April 2nd, 2011

The sixth and final StoryTelling Company of the 2010-11 winter season will be presented April 10 at Ivano’s Ristorante Italiano at First and Pine in Sandpoint. This dinner show, sponsored by Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, will begin at 6 p.m. with meal service. The entertainment begins at 7 p.m. Call 208-263-0211 for reservations. Visit the StoryTelling Company Facebook page for more details.

FSPW will present at Sandpoint Middle School science fair April 8

April 2nd, 2011

FSPW exec Phil Hough will give a PowerPoint presentation to student, staff and guests of Sandpoint Middle School at their Science Fair on April 8 at the Ponderay Events Center behind Sandpoint Furniture at the Bonner Mall. The Scotchman Peaks presentation will focus on the proposed wilderness as well as the rare carnivores study that the Friends helped Idaho Fish and Game conduct during the recent winter. Phil will begin this half-hour presentation at 10:15 Pacific time.

Aaron Johnson posts his Extreme Plein Air paintings

March 7th, 2011

One of our Extreme Plein Air Painters has been busy. Have a look at Aaron Johnson’s beautiful take on our wild country: www.cordellart.com/scotchman-peaks-hike.html

For a related article on the art and artists of the Extreme Plein Air, check our Blog at http://bit.ly/gqUTb9

Rescheduled Winter Wildland Film Festival at Gonzaga Mar. 18

March 3rd, 2011

The thrill and joy of human-powered pursuits in winter’s backcountry – from Alaska to Antarctica – will be on display at the Winter Wildlands Alliance’s Backcountry Film Festival Friday, Mar. 18, at Gonzaga University’s Jepson Center. Read more here.

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness 2011 essay competition opens.

February 25th, 2011

Local high school seniors urged apply for scholarships

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness annual scholarship essay competition for 2011 is now open. Last year, $1750 dollars were awarded to applicants for their essays on wilderness. The competition seeks entries from area seniors written on the theme, “What does wilderness have to teach the ‘civilized’ world?” A graduating senior from each high school in Thompson Falls, Plains, Noxon, Troy and Libby, Montana; as well as Clark Fork, Sandpoint and the Lake Pend Oreille Alternative High School in Idaho will recieve a $250 scholarship for the winning essay from each school, with an additional $250 rewarded for the best essay, overall.

“We’ve received some extraordinarily good essays in past years,” FSPW program coordinator Sandy Compton said, “and we will certainly get some more this year. The essay competition is a great way to let young people speak out for wilderness.”

This scholarship has no minimum GPA, nor does it require any commitment for higher education. This scholarship is paid directly to the individual upon successful graduation, and may be used as they see fit. Scholarship applications will be available from counselors at area high schools next week. Seniors may also ask for an application by calling Compton at 208-290-1281 or writing to sandy@scotchmanpeaks.org

Deadline for entry is April 15.

Get those winter pictures sent in!

February 25th, 2011

The FSPW winter photo contest is in full swing. In conjunction with the 2011 Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Winter Hike series, the annual winter photo contest began on January 15 and runs through April 30, the last winter hike of this year. We are using a simplified format this year, with only two categories: Winter Critters (including people, pets and wilder creatures); and Winter Wonders (including scenic shots, macros and other creative compositions). A committee of Friends will choose first, second and third place winners in each category, for which appropriate FSPW swag will be awarded. Grand Prize is a professionally framed copy of your winning photo. For more information on submissions, go here.

Winter hikes are ongoing; a new date for Goat Peak Redux

February 25th, 2011

As of February 25, there are still seven hikes left in our winter walk series, including one on Sunday, February 27 to Ross Creek Cedars led by Neil and Ann Wimberley. Coming up Saturday, March 5, is a ski and snowshoe jaunt up to Mount Vernon, led by the intrepid Sandii Mellen. (Bring your legs and lungs.) John Harbuck has moved his Goat Peak hike from April 9 to April 15, giving those who want to do Goat Peak twice this winter an extra week to recover from Jim Mellen’s trip on March 26. Get out there!

Films to be shown at Little Panida in Sandpoint

February 14th, 2011

Sunday, February 20, FSPW will show two wilderness-based films at the Little Panida Theater in Sandpoint and present some of our volunteers with a special gift from the Friends. Read more about it here. Doors open at 6:00.

Coming Up: Wildlife, wolverines and wild life.

January 27th, 2011

On the horizon for the Friends, we are sponsoring the International Wildlife Film Festival in Libby on Feb. 11. The showing will be at the Little Theater at 724 Louisiana in Libby at 7:00. Admission is free, but bring a nonperishable food item and we will deliver it to the Libby Food Pantry.

February 20 will be the official world premier of the short film, En Plein Air from Wildman Pictures. The film, which will be showed at the Little Panida Theater, was shot during the Extreme Plein Air hike in the Scotchman Peaks last summer and features artists Aaron Johnson, Jared Shear and David Herbold, gallery owner Kally Thurman of Hope and a cast of — well about a dozen, we think. View the interior of the Scotchmans through the lense of the camera crew and the eyes of the artists. Invitations will go out soon.

March 17, 18 and 19, FSWP brings wolverine expert Doug Chadwick, author of The Wolverine Way, to Trout Creek and Troy, Montana and Sandpoint to give a presentation on his favorite mustelid. The wolverine is currently being searched for in the Scotchmans as part of a research project undertaken jointly by Idaho Fish and Game; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; and the US Forest Service.

Check back in for times and venues for Chadwick.