Agreement reached on trails plan
An appeal on a proposed trails project on the Swan Lake Ranger District’s “Island Unit” west of Lakeside has been withdrawn after successful negotiations with the appellant.
The project had involved development of 41.6 miles of new motorized trails and 11.5 miles non-motorized trails on Blacktail mountain.
Lead appellant Adam Rissien of Missoula-based Wildlands CPR said concessions agreed to by the Flathead National Forest were satisfactory.
“The agreement reached on this project offers all interested stakeholders a chance to work collaboratively with the Flathead National Forest to address the long-standing issues of unauthorized off-road vehicle use and problems with dust on Blacktail Road,” Rissien said in a news release on Friday.
“While by no means a perfect solution, the agreement does reduce the miles of new motorized trail behind people’s homes and sets up a phased-in approach, which gives the Forest Service a chance to demonstrate success before opening the Kerr Mountain trails.”
The Flathead Forest agreed to drop a portion of the lowest elevation motorized trail and connector on Kerr Mountain that is close to private lands and residences. A portion of Forest Road 2898 also would not be motorized.
The Forest Service also agreed to work with interested parties to guide the monitoring and management of the trails project through a phased process of implementation. There was a commitment to effective law enforcement on the Island Unit and for dust control on parts of the project area.
According to appellant Leslie Gray, “We are pleased with the resolution and we look forward to the collaborative efforts of multiple parties which will allow us to review the project, determine what issues exist and potential resolution for these issues. Frankly, we would have preferred to see the entire Kerr Mountain portion of the Island trails project scrapped, but I do think this is a very positive step forward for all concerned. Time will tell.”
In combination with existing trails and designated roads linking the system together, there will be a total of 61 miles of trails on the Island Unit.