Activities Update

October 2001: Six FOT members met at the Kootenai NWR on October 14th. The weather was beautiful with a fall chill in the air and abundant sunshine. The aspens, cottonwoods and larch trees throughout the Kootenai river valley were stunning. Best of all, the group spotted abundant wildlife: three moose (a bull with two cows), a bald eagle, hundreds of waterfowl including three beautiful tundra swans, and many Northern Harriers. As an added bonus, we also scampered over Precambrian Belt rocks, saw spectacular faults and folds and enjoyed the thought of being buried under 3000 feet of glacial ice! Our lunch stop was located approximately 700 feet above the valley at a spectacular overlook sight. There we contemplated the glacial ice age and the vast expanse of the ancient glacial lake that once occupied the valley as the Purcell Trench ice lobe retreated to the north during the late Pleistocene age. We also speculated on the movements of the ancient Purcell Trench fault and the relationships to the creation of the Selkirk and Purcell mountains. Note: You can check out photos from this field trip by following this link.