Community invited to join 'Winter Saunter'

Area residents are invited to come along on Saturday, Feb. 13 for Winter Saunter, a combination of safe space winter strolls, and road tours to observe and appreciate the winter surroundings.

Along the route, participants will visit private land sites of riverside, creek, wetland, forest habitats and birding viewpoints to observe and discuss winter birding, animal and bird tracks, sign and scat, and evergreen and deciduous vegetation.

The small will be limited to eight participants, will cover an area of diverse locations by caravanning in your own rig, stopping and hopping out at roadside stops, and taking a few short walks or mini-hikes on private lands of less than one mile round trip. Organizers also will be briefly discussing some of the history of the Salish-Kootenai Peoples, David Thompson’s party, and the Lewis & Clark expeditions.

Participants will be meeting on Saturday, Feb. 13, at Riverfront Park in Libby at 9 a.m. (Mountain Time). Riverfront Park is located on the southwest side of where Highway 37 begins to cross the bridge over the Kootenai River in Libby, Montana. There are blue-and-white signs to the turnoff before you cross the bridge . We’ll meet under the large timber frame shelter, and very briefly go over the days plan. Please arrive with full gas tanks, water, lunch, appropriate layers and boots for the weather, hats and gloves for the extremities, binoculars, cameras, and any bird, track, and plant field guide books you might have. Bring snowshoes if you have them, in case of deeper snows. Wrap up time will be approximately 3 p.m. (Mountain Time).

The class is sponsored by Libby Hostel Base Camp (libbyhostelbasecampairbnb.com) which can provide accommodations if needed. If the Libby Hostel is full, check the Venture and the Country Inns, and mention this class for a small discount rate. This outdoor educational program is designed as a COVID-19 aware outdoor experience where we will all maintain safe distances. The instructor for the day is college educated, with over 43 years of field experience in forestry, wildlife research, and land surveying, and over 20 years of teaching outdoor educational classes. For more information and

To register, email: b_baxter53@yahoo.com or call 406-291-2154. Come on out to recreate in beautiful northwest Montana, get a little exercise, learn a bit, meet some like-minded people, and have some fun! Let your Valentine know you love them with a gift of enjoyment in nature.