Public invited to discuss Flathead River future

The Flathead National Forest, in coordination and partnership with Glacier National Park, will hold its third public meeting July 25 as it prepares a Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) for the three forks of the Flathead River.

The meeting will be held at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 25 at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 650 Wolfpack Way in Kalispell. The main meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. and will include presentations on current ethnographic and historical information and some facilitated discussion on how ethnographic and historical resources will be addressed in the CRMP.

An introductory presentation on the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for those new to the CRMP process will begin at 5:45 p.m. Future meeting topics, links to past meeting materials, and the meeting schedule are posted on the CRMP website.

The Flathead River was designated a Wild and Scenic River October 12, 1976 and is a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It encompasses the North Fork of the Flathead from the Canadian border to its confluence with the Middle Fork, the entire Middle Fork, and the South Fork from its headwaters to Hungry Horse Reservoir. The North Fork and the lower Middle Fork form the boundaries between the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park.

Portions of the Middle and South Forks flow through the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness Areas. A total of 219 miles of the Flathead River are included in the designation.

More information can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/home/?cid=fseprd573051&width=full.