Forest Service issues permit for marathon event

The Flathead National Forest granted a special-use permit Tuesday for the Whitefish Trail Ultra-Marathon scheduled for October.

The permit allows for a maximum number of 200 participants. Much of the race is scheduled to occur within the recreational terrain of the Whitefish Mountain Resort.

The permit was granted even though critics of the marathon had raised concerns about the Forest Service sanctioning a running event in bear habitat. Critics noted longstanding advice from bear experts that running can trigger a grizzly bear’s prey instincts and lead to human-bear conflicts.

Separately, the Forest Service continues to review a request for a permit for the second annual Foys to Blacktail Trails Marathon, scheduled for Sept. 22.

“The Foys to Blacktail Marathon decision is pending, as the district ranger has been out of the office and will review and consider the comments next week,” said Janette Turk, a spokeswoman for the Flathead National Forest.

Grizzly bear expert Chris Servheen, who worked for years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, recently expressed opposition to both events.

He has described concerns, too, about mountain biking in bear habitat. He chaired the board of review that studied the circumstances of the June 2016 death of mountain biker Brad Treat. The board found that mountain biking in grizzly habitat could be risky because of the speed and relative quiet of the activity.

Last week, Chip Weber, forest supervisor of the Flathead National Forest, responded to the controversy about certain types of outdoor recreation being potentially more dangerous than others by penning an op-ed.

Weber noted the statistics show that walking or hiking in bear habitat and activities like camping can be more dangerous than running or mountain biking.

He also noted that other types of outdoor recreation, including whitewater kayaking and rafting, rock climbing and backcountry skiing have inherent risks.

“So, why such a different reaction to the much lower risks from wildlife encounters?” Weber asked in his op-ed.

“These are low-probability, high-consequence events. Deaths from grizzly attacks are horrific. We have a visceral response to that imagery that makes the probability of it happening seem much higher than it is,” Weber observed.

On Tuesday, Keith Hammer, chairman of the Swan View Coalition, expressed disappointment that the Flathead National Forest had issued the permit for the Whitefish Trail Ultra-Marathon.

Still, he said concerns raised by Servheen and the coalition spurred a useful public debate about the Forest Service endorsing special-use permits for activities that conflict with advice long given about avoiding running in bear habitat.

“Our conscience is clear,” Hammer said in a news release. “We’re not saying people can’t trail run and ride mountain bikes on the Flathead, but we don’t think the Flathead should be commercially promoting races that negate the warnings that such activities increase risk and can have grave consequences.”

Meanwhile, Weber wrote that he anticipates the debate about outdoor activities on the Flathead National Forest will continue and encouraged regional residents to stay tuned.

“You can inform yourself of the risks associated with your recreational pursuits, learn how to mitigate them to the extent possible, choose what to do based on your own values and own the consequences of your choice,” Weber observed.

Reporter Duncan Adams may be reached at dadams@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4407.