Local briefs for July 15

| July 15, 2014 5:45 PM

Quilt Guild show at Heritage Museum

The Kootenai Valley Quilt Guild is showing their quilts for the month of July in the Heritage Museum Tower Gallery.

This beautiful array of quilts can be seen now through July 30. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is by donation.

Astronomyclub monthly meeting

Come to 324 White Ave. in Libby on Friday, July 18 to take part in the Kootenai Stargazers Astronomy Club meeting at 6 p.m. It will be full of food, chatter and education. KSAC meets the third Friday of every month. Call 293-2552 for more information.

Yaak celebrates the wilderness July 19

Come to the Yaak River Tavern and Mercantile for events, hikes, food and music to celebrate the wilderness of the area on Saturday, July 19. Doors open at 1 p.m. and proceeds benefit Yaak Valley Forest Council’s community outreach and education programs.

Pioneer Society hosts annual picnic

Come to the Pioneer Society Annual Picnic at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 at the museum cook shack lawn.

At this yearly potluck, will be a presentation by Don Shea and a guided tour of the museum grounds. For more information, call 293-2552.

Loggers to play against Sandpoint

The Libby Loggers will be playing against Sandpoint, Idaho at the Lee Gehring Field at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 20.This will be the Loggers’ last home game of the season. The team will then go on to tournaments in Kalispell and Lewistown.

Chautauqua intro

at Heritage Museum

The Heritage Museum will host an introduction to the New Old Time Chautauqua at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 21. After a rousing parade, there will be a short vaudeville teaser show, featuring a selection of their touring talent from jugglers to magicians. Afterward, learn about the history of the Chautauqua movement from Paul Magid, one of the Chautauqua founders. There is an exhibit at the museum about Chautauqua events. New Old Time Chautauqua, America’s last and only Circuit Chautauqua, will be on July 22 at the Memorial Center.

Troy Archery Club to hold June shoot

The Troy Archery Club is holding its June 3D Shoot on the weekend of July 26 and 27 at the Troy Archery and Shooting Range.

Registration starts at 8 a.m. both days. Signs will direct traffic to the range, which is located on Rabbit O’Brien Road, approximately 9 miles north of Troy. Call Pat Hanley at 295-9048 for more information.

Local bat tests positive for rabies

On Monday, a local dog killed a bat, and the Lincoln County Animal Control retrieved the bat and sent it to Bozeman for testing. The bat tested positive for rabies.

The dog that attacked the bat received a rabies booster shot and is now back at its home.

Lincoln County Animal Control Enforcement Officer Sarah Pisciotta encourages all Lincoln County residents to watch out for bats acting abnormally.

Bats tend to be active at night and in dark places, and unusal activity includes bat activity during the day and in heat.

Pisciotta said that bats can be anywhere and do not have a specific local location where they congregate.

At least a bat each year has tested positive for rabies, Pisciotta said, which is the reason for the heightened awareness.

She said residents should call in to animal control if they believe there is a bat acting strangely. Animal control will pick up the species and have it tested in Bozeman.

Beyond bats, Pisciotta said that residents should also vaccinate their dogs and cats.

Contact Sarah Pisciotta at 293-4040 for further information.

Libby Driver Exam moves location

The Libby Driver Exam will be moving locations at the end of July.

We will open at our new location, located at 418 Main St., on July 30. The old location is 952 E. Spruce St.

The business hours will remain the same: the office will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) and on Friday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

For written testing, customers must arrive at least an hour before closing. Road tests for Class D licenses and motorcycles are conducted by appointment only. The office phone number will remain the same at (406) 293-2423.

The examination office still currently accepts only cash- or check-only transactions.

Appointments in Eureka or Libby Commercial Driver road tests can be scheduled by calling 1-866-450-8034. For general driving information, visit www.doj.mt.gov/driving.

Pike catch sparks FWP investigation

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks have started focusing particularly steadily on finding out more information about the recent discovery of pike in Lake Mary Ronan to see if illegal introduction has occurred.

Two northern pike were caught in the lake on June 26 by an angler from Missoula. It was the first sighting of pike in Lake Mary Ronan and a pike presence could be detrimental to the valuable native species such as the kokanee salmon and trout.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission has bolstered the effort to combat illegal introduction into water bodies, because nonnative species can cause problems for the industry, the fishermen and the native species themselves.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will be studying Lake Mary Ronan over the next 30 days to determine the cause of the presence of pike in the lake.

FWP is asking anyone (not just anglers) with information on who introduced pike into Lake Mary Ronan to call 1-800-TIP MONT.

Troy honors Elk Foundation founders

The founders of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will be honored at 1:30 p.m. key-to-the-city ceremony on Friday, July 25 in Troy’s Roosevelt Park to honor the flourishing Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation they created.

“Troy holds a special place in our hearts,” RMEF co-founder Bob Munson said in a press release. “We are so grateful for the support we received as we struggled to get RMEF off the ground.”

Munson, Charlie Decker, Bill Munson and Dan Bull founded the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in May of 1984. The foundation’s purpose is to ensure the future of elk and other wildlife as well as support the hunting community.

The founders will be given a key to the city in front of Mayor Darren Coldwell, Troy officials and other RMEF volunteers.