Proposed river regs would limit motor boats
<p>Brian Bushnell of Whitefish and his dog Bella arrived at the Whitefish Landing dedication ceremony via canoe on Thursday morning, August 1, in Whitefish. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
The use of motorized watercraft on many popular rivers and creeks throughout Montana would be substantially limited under a batch of proposed regulations based on a petition approved by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission earlier this year.
In Northwest Montana, the Quiet Waters Initiative rules would affect boating on the Flathead, Swan, Whitefish and Stillwater rivers, along with Swift and Lazy creeks.
The state’s wildlife commission voted unanimously in May to adopt the Quiet Waters Initiative after it was submitted by Montana Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Members of the group argued the rules would help prevent the growing number of conflicts between wildlife and water recreationists on the state’s busier waterways.
“This is about being proactive and protecting our natural resources that belong to everybody and heading off problems not only before they become dangerous, but before they become unsolvable,” Kalispell resident Ben Long testified during the commission’s May 12 meeting. Long is a co-chair of the sportsman organization’s board of directors.
The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is responsible for writing the administrative rules to enact petitions approved by the commission. The wildlife agency is currently accepting public comments on the proposals through Jan. 13, after which it will issue the final rules.
On the Flathead River, no “personal watercraft” — meaning Jet Skis, Wave Runners, Sea-Doos or other water scooters — would be allowed from the confluence with the South Fork down to the Montana 35 bridge east of Evergreen. The river segment would also be a no-wake zone from June 1 to Oct. 15, defined as requiring watercraft to slow to a speed that leaves no white water in the boat’s wake.
The Whitefish River’s no-wake zone would be extended from the JP Road bridge to its confluence with the Stillwater River, where personal watercraft would also be prohibited. The new no-wake zone would apply from Jul 1 through Sept. 15.
The Quiet Waters regulations would ban water scooters on both Swift Creek and Lazy Creek, which both flow into the north end of Whitefish Lake. And the length of the Stillwater River from Upper Stillwater Lake to its confluence with the Flathead River would also be a no-wake zone with no personal watercraft allowed.
On the Swan River, the existing no-wake stretch of waterway from Swan Lake up to Porcupine Bride would be extended to the headwaters of Lindbergh Lake.
Current seasonal restrictions on motorized watercraft from Swan Lake to confluence with Bear Creek would remain unchanged.
Additional rules include restrictions on the Missouri, Bitterroot, Yellowstone, Marias and Sun rivers.
The department is holding a series of public hearings throughout the state to solicit comments on the proposal, beginning with a meeting at the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ regional office in Kalispell on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 6 p.m.
The public comment deadline for the Quiet Waters regulations is Jan. 13, 2017. To view the full list of proposed rule changes, visit sos.mt.gov/ARM/Register.
Comments can be emailed to e-mail QuietWaters@mt.gov or mailed to: Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Attn: Quiet Waters Petition; P.O. Box 200701; Helena, Montana, 59620-0701.
For more information, contact Kaedy Gangstad at 406-444-4594 or by email at kgangstad@mt.gov.
Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.