Forest to close down Swan Valley roads
The Flathead National Forest has finalized a plan to restore two watersheds in the Swan Valley to improve bull trout habitat.
Called the Chilly James Restoration Project, the work will focus on mitigating the impacts of roads on bull trout spawning and rearing habitat in the Jim Creek and Cold Creek watersheds.
Thirty years ago the Montana Department of Environmental Quality classified Jim Creek as “impaired” and other groups expressed concern about Cold Creek. In recent years a number of activities such as replacing culverts and bridges and eliminating certain point sources of erosion have resulted in a general improvement of these watersheds.
To help accelerate watershed restoration, the U.S. Forest Service will decommission 26.2 miles of forest road, put 4.8 miles into long-term storage, relocate 0.2 miles and implement best management practices such as blading, clearing ditches and replacing undersized culverts on 20.9 miles.
The draft decision for Chilly James was published in February and on-the-ground restoration work is expected to take several years. A public works contract will be advertised to accomplish planned work for 2016.
Swan Lake District Ranger Rich Kehr said that planning for restoration and subsequent contract work has been a partnership effort and part of the broader Southwest Crown of the Continent collaborative landscape restoration effort.
“Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Swan Valley Connections played important roles in the successful outcome of this project,” Kehr said in a press release. “The interagency goal is to achieve restored watershed conditions with Jim Creek delisted from the state list of impaired water bodies, and both Jim and Cold Creek meeting all beneficial water uses.”
Visit the Flathead National Forest web page to find a copy of the decision and environmental assessment.
For more information, contact Kehr or Beth Gardner at the Swan Lake Ranger District at (406) 837-7500.
Reporter Sam Wilson may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.