Whitefish takes lead on trails project

Ambitious plan could involve 40 miles of paths

A plan in the works for state, federal and private land around Whitefish would ultimately create up to 40 miles of recreational trails in a project organizers say could set a national precedent for similar ventures.

Whitefish Mayor Andy Feury and local legislators Rep. Mike Jopek, D-Whitefish, and Sen. Dan Weinberg, D-Whitefish, have spent the past six to eight months meeting with officials from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, U.S. Forest Service and private landholders such as Winter Sports Inc. and Stoltze Lumber Co., discussing the idea of an extensive trail system.

Though an exact route hasn't been determined, it would generally run from the Pig Farm area on Farm-to-Market Road, through Spencer Mountain and the Beaver Lake area, up Big Mountain and down through Haskill Basin, ending somewhere in the Happy Valley area, Jopek said.

"The timeliness of this is important," Jopek said. "People are in the mood to cooperate and that's pretty darn exciting. We could create a blueprint as to how these kinds of projects could develop."

With members of several recreation groups in the audience, Feury made a presentation to the Whitefish City Council on Tuesday, saying that he and other organizers envision the city of Whitefish taking the lead in the application process. The council agreed to have city officials draft a letter to the state, asking that the city become the coordinating entity.

The project taps into the recently approved neighborhood plan for 13,000 acres of school trust lands around Whitefish.

"The plan means nothing if we can't implement it," said Bob Sandman, area manager of the DNRC's Northwest Land Office. "The trail system is probably the linchpin of this plan, and the city is the perfect fit [to take the lead] with its history of public-private partnerships. This has the potential of setting a precedent nationally."

Feury said the county would also be a key player in the trail project, adding that Commissioner Joe Brenneman is "on board" with the concept.

"It's a big concept, there's no doubt about it," Feury said, adding that there have been few instances in the history of the West when so many public and private entities have been willing to work together.

A nonprofit group would likely be formed to help steer the trail project. Jopek said the drive and direction would come from user groups such as the Friends of Spencer, Flathead Fat Tire Association, Friends of Happy Valley and Friends of Haskill Basin. Other organizations for equestrians, anglers and hunters would also be "invited to the table," Jopek said.

A stakeholders group similar to the one formed two years ago to shepherd the drafting of the state lands neighborhood plan would probably be put in place.

Long-term maintenance, parking and ongoing funding are among the issues that would need to be resolved.

Getting private easements to connect tracts of government land is a pivotal part of the project, but organizers believe it's not insurmountable. Such a trail system could actually enhance development possibilities for private landowners and allow the project to leverage substantial private-sector dollars, Jopek said.

Bick Smith, who was involved in the state land plan and has been a member of the ad hoc recreation trail committee, said it's the last time Whitefish will have an opportunity to create such an extensive trail.

"All the stars have lined up," Smith said. "Yes, there are issues to deal with, but several hundreds of years from now, they'll look back at what we did and thank us."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com