Your comments are needed now to stop the commercial overcrowding of the Flathead's Wild and Scenic Rivers!
The Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park have released their draft Comprehensive River Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. They ask for your comments by March 13!
In spite of public complaints, proposed user capacities have been increased another 24% over what was proposed one year ago and commercially permitted service days are proposed to increase over existing levels by up to 12 times!
Please let the agencies know you want the vast majority of the allocated use to be for everyday citizens, not commercial river outfitters - and that you don't want the already-excessive use levels expanded!
You can submit your comments via the portal at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=56536 . If the portal isn't working, simply email your comments to Ranger Rob Davies at robert.davies@usda.gov or mail them to him at Hungry Horse Ranger Station, PO Box 190340, Hungry Horse, MT 59919.
Here are some suggested points to make:
- Actual commercial use in the past five years on the Middle Fork has been twice the permitted level of 35,713 service days. This cannot be rewarded by quadrupling the permitted service days there, nor by increasing permit limits by 12 times in the North Fork!
- The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act requires the FS to protect and enhance the river's Outstanding Remarkable Values, such as uncrowded recreational opportunities, which have already been degraded. Permitted commercial use must be reduced, not expanded!
- Listen to the public testimony you have asked for, acknowledge that user capacity is already being exceeded, and don't simply expand user capacity limits!
- Decrease commercial fishing trips where threatened bull trout are being harmed by overfishing.
- Activate your online Public Reading Room so people can learn from one another's comments during the public comment period. Saying you won't activate it until after the public comment period is closed defeats the purpose!
For more ideas and details, Swan View's comment letter is here.
For more details about the negative effects to the already-dwindling bull trout population, Friends of the Wild Swan's comment letter is here.
You can find the government's documents here.
Our prior “scoping” alert of a year ago in this matter is located here.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to help provide your Wild and Scenic Rivers the protection they deserve!
