Contents
From the Chair
Annual General Meeting, June 12
Forestry
Communications
Canyon group news—BCWC, BCHPA, BCRFD
Litigation Update
Zoning Updates
Code of the Canyon
Budworm Spraying
Membership, Dues Notice & Payment Form
Although most of you have seen orchids In supermarkets and garden centers, many of you probably didn’t know that Montana is home to 31 species of wild orchid. So far I have encountered eight species in the Bridger Canyon area. The orchid family accounts for about 10% of species of flowering plants and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Most of the orchids you will see in Montana are quite small and can be tricky to spot, but, the more you see the easier it will get to find them. All of the orchids mentioned in this article I have found on the west or south side of green mountain (with the exception of Platanthera dilatata which I have only found in Bridger Canyon along Fairy Lake road). The fairy slippers have been blooming for some time now and the first of the Corallorhiza and Dactylorhizas are beginning to bloom. In about a month the Platantheras will begin to display their unusual, spurred flowers alongside the white flowers of the diminutive Goodyera oblongifolia.
Calypso bulbosa, or the fairy slipper, is probably the best known of Montana’s native orchids growing in shady areas, generally on west facing slopes. Many plants of C. bulbosa can be found along the trail/logging road up mount Ellis, and along the history rock trail in Hyalite canyon. C. bulbosa is pollinated by bumblebees who, expecting nectar, find nothing; this means that the bee will only visit any single flower once. This photograph was taken on the Yellow Mule trail in Big Sky.
Corallorhiza maculata (or spotted coral-root) is a tall leafless plant that acquires all of its nutrients and energy through a fungus in its roots (myco-heterotrophy). It can usually be found in large clumps in shaded areas. It is generally pollinated by flies of the genus Empis and a number of species of mining bee. C. maculata also frequently self-pollinates, a process known as autogamy. This is a large colony I found in the woods near my house on Bridger Woods road.
Another leafless orchid, Corallorhiza striata (striped coral-root) is easy to miss in the surrounding vegetation. It can usually be found in small groups in forested areas. C. striata is pollinated by the parasitic wasp Pimpla pedalis. This is an unusually large colony near the New World Gulch trail.
A close look-alike of C. maculata, Corallorhiza wisteriana (or Wister’s coral-root) can be tricky to identify. C. wisteriana tends to be smaller and darker colored than C. maculata and also seems to prefer a slightly moister habitat than its relatives. A slightly more technical difference, C. wisteriana has a lip with straight sides, whereas C. maculata has a lip with two little prongs (one on each side).
Goodyera oblongifolia (giant rattlesnake plantain) is known as a “jewel orchid” due to its spectacular rosettes of variegated leaves. It is quite common (although tricky to spot) and can be found in most shaded areas. G. oblongifolia is frequently seen along the sides of most trails in the Bridger mountains.
Platanthera dilatata (white bog orchid) is another relatively well known orchid growing along streambanks and in roadside ditches. Also, P. dilatata has a wonderful fragrance, often described as vanilla and cloves. The plants in this picture are growing in the ditch along Fairy Lake road.
Platanthera unalascensis or the Alaskan Piperia probably has the smallest flowers of any north American orchid. It can be found in relatively dry meadows and along roadsides. Also, it has a very unique fragrance generally compared to that of ammonia or yeast.
Dactylorhiza viridis (frog orchid) seems to be the rarest orchid in the Bridger canyon area (I have found five plants so far). It tends to grow in partial shade in damp coniferous forests and in bogs. Although it is not known what pollinates D. viridis in North America, there are reports of the plant being pollinated by ants and bees in Europe.
As always, never pick or attempt to transplant any wild orchids (unless they are on you property and you know what you are doing), as most of them are rare and have a very sensitive relationship with fungi in the soil and thus will not survive transplanting. It is also illegal to collect orchids or orchid seed from public land without special permission.
There are many species of wild orchid in Montana, and there is a significant chance that there are more species in Bridger Canyon that I have not yet spotted.
Enjoy the thrills of hunting wild orchids!
Additional resources : North American Orchid Conservation Center this is a website dedicated to the conservation of North American orchids; it has an extremely useful identification key.
– Ansel Fiddaman
The 2018 General Meeting will be held at the BCRFD community room, June 12th.
Music by Da Skekklers at 6:30, meeting starts at 7pm.
Agenda
Members unable to attend the general meeting in person may vote by proxy.
Due to the dedication and hard work by the Chief and volunteers at the Bridger Canyon Volunteer Fire Dept., the Department’s ISO rating has been lowered to a 6 from an 8b effective December 1, 2017. Some insurers utilize this rating in determining the cost of Homeowner’s Insurance. If they do, the new lower rating may result in a reduced rate effective as of 12-1-2017. Individuals should discuss this possibility with their insurance agent.
Sincerely,
Gary Andrews
Board Chairman
Bridger Canyon Volunteer Fire Department
This document announces the scoping comment period for the Bridger’s Forest health project:
ScopingLetterNorthBridgersFH_signed
Instructions for comment, with web links, are on page 15. The project page is:
https://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=48493
The Bridger Canyon Women’s Club’s Canyon Cookery cookbook is live on the Montana Memory Project in the Community Cookbook section! It’s far more than a cookbook–it’s a history of Bridger Canyon, with pictures, from prehistoric times, accompanied by vintage recipes. It’s a real treasure! And it’s now available to anyone who wants to know more about the history of the canyon and the families who formed the Bridger Canyon Community.
It is now available to anyone who wants to know more about the history of the canyon and the families who formed the Bridger Canyon Community. Although they had lots of help from the women of the club, the families of the canyon, and many others, the writers were Linda Peavy and Sally Babcock. It was published by the Bridger Canyon Women’s Club. You can see it in the Community Cookbooks collection: http://mtmemory.org/cdm/search/collection/p16013coll70
On October 3, there will be a meeting at the BCRFD community room, to discuss the Forest Service’s proposed North Bridgers Forest Health Project.
In brief, the project concerns vegetation management (with logging, burning and temporary roads) on 2560 acres of the Bridgers and Bangtails, roughly adjacent to Bridger Bowl, Fairy Lake and Grassy Mountain. The USFS page for the project is https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=48493
North Bridgers Forest Health Project Open House – October 3, 2017, at 6:00 p.m.
Hosted by the Custer Gallatin Working Group
You are invited to an Open House to discuss the North Bridgers Forest Health Project on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, at the Bridger Canyon Rural Fire Department, 8081 Bridger Canyon Rd, Bozeman MT 59715. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the presentations will begin at 6:00 p.m. The Forest Service will provide an update on the North Bridgers Forest Health Project and Forest Service resource specialists will be on hand to answer questions.
For more information about the North Bridgers Forest Health Project, including a preliminary proposed action, please visit http://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=48493
In addition, Justin Meissner, District Conservationist of Montana’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, will make a presentation to residents describing opportunities for landowners to apply for technical assistance, conservation planning, and financial assistance to help defray the cost of weed spraying, forest stand improvement, fence building, stock water, etc. through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This funding is unrelated to the above North Bridgers Forest Health Project.
Please note that parking is not allowed in front of the fire station. Park only on the right of the station or in the rear.
Questions? Contact Custer Gallatin Working Group representative Hilary Eisen: heisen@winterwildlands.org
DNRC has announced a timber sale on School Trust land in School Gulch. This is on the east side of the Canyon, north of Jackson creek and the Tepee Ridge subdivision. See the letter, map and photo below.
The project will involve about 1.2 million board feet on 208 acres, with 2.7 miles of new road. There may be simultaneous logging on private lands adjacent and across the canyon, but
Evidently this is a “fast track” process, with just 2 weeks to comment (deadline June 15th). Comments can go to Chuck Barone – see the letter below for contact information.
School Gulch LA Timber Sale map
School Gulch photo
School Gulch_ScopingLetter
The project is moving ahead. An Environmental Assessment has been performed:
School Gulch LA_FinalEAC_signed_062317
Next, the project will be considered at a state Land Board hearing in Helena, July 18th. We’ll post information on how to comment as it becomes available.
The BCPOA General Meeting will be on Tuesday May 23rd at the BCRFD Community Room, 8081 Bridger Canyon Road, with music at 6:30 and the agenda beginning at 7pm. See you there!
The agenda is in the annual Newsletter:
At the 2017 General Meeting, we hope to approve an update to BCPOA’s bylaws. The purpose of the update is very limited: to improve and clarify administration and procedures, and provide for innovations like electronic meeting participation. There is no intent to change the purpose of the organization or shift the balance of power between members and directors.
An introductory memo:
BCPOA-Memo.Bylaws.170424.pdf
A clean draft of the proposed bylaws:
BCPOA-bylaws.170308.clean.pdf
A redlined version, showing changes:
BCPOA-bylaws.170308.redline.pdf
A summary table of changes:
BCPOA-Bylaws.April24table.pdf
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