Couple express concerns about Crystal Cedar Project

Sarah Jones leans toward optimism. Josh Gleason describes himself as a realistic pessimist.

The two thus express varying degrees of confidence about whether the U.S. Forest Service will respond in a meaningful way to their concerns.

Jones, 38, and Gleason, 48, share a log house in a secluded setting many would consider idyllic. A gurgling mountain spring yields cold, crystal clear water. Trees of varied species tower nearby.

Wildlife visits regularly. Grizzly bears wander through, as do moose.

The cabin and outbuildings are surrounded by grasses. And Gleason and Jones, who own and operate Sarah Jones Interior Design, believe their home has good protection from wildfire.

The two find solace and enchantment in the life they live at the end of a long private road. And the idea of change that might affect their lives, their water and the wildlife habitat around them rattles their bones.

Enter the U.S. Forest Service, Gateway to Glacier Trail, the proposed Crystal Cedar Project and a big national push for “active forest management,” including tree thinning and fuels reduction said by some to help reduce the severity of wildfires.

Jones and Gleason met in the Bob Marshall Wilderness when Gleason worked there as a guide. Five years ago, they bought the property north of Columbia Falls that is buffered on three sides by the Flathead National Forest.

That proximity to a national forest helped the two decide to buy the house, outbuildings and 15 acres, believing the adjacent public lands could help protect the property from unwanted residential and commercial development.

At the same time, they understood that national forests are managed to serve multiple uses, ranging from timber cutting to recreation to mining.

Then, they learned about the proposed Crystal Cedar Project.

The project would unfold on national forest lands north of Columbia Falls and west of the Flathead River, and include Crystal Creek, Cedar Flats, Spoon Lake, Blankenship Road and Teakettle Mountain.

Project activities, as proposed, would include about 3,876 acres of vegetation treatments “to reduce fuels within the wildland-urban interface and improve the resilience of forest stands,” according to the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest.

In addition, the project would create about 25 miles of new trails in the Cedar Flats area “to be constructed in partnership with community organizations,” the Forest Service said.

Glacier to Gateway is a key community organization involved in working with the Forest Service to create more trails readily accessible from Columbia Falls for walkers, hikers, mountain bikers and others.

Gleason and Jones fear that a proposed logging road tied to the project, compaction of soils by heavy equipment and thinning of the tree canopy could impact the quality of their spring and its flow.

They worry also that new trails that would bisect important wildlife habitat and corridors could displace animals and lead to human-bear conflicts.

“The animals are going to be pushed out,” Jones said.

Last week, the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District released the environmental assessment for the Crystal Cedar Project and set a 30-day deadline for public comment.

Jones and Gleason plan to submit comments before the deadline and have requested documents cited within the environmental assessment. Jones said the Forest Service told her some of the documents might take 20 days to provide.

On Tuesday, four representatives from the Flathead National Forest paid a site visit to Jones and Gleason’s property and took a walk with them through the forest.

Participating were Rob Davies, Hungry Horse-Glacier View district ranger; Sarah Canepa, team leader for the Crystal Cedar Project; Paul Donnellon, a forester; and, Nate Dieterich, a hydrologist.

“I’m happy and thankful they did come out,” Jones said the following day. “The next question is, ‘Do they act on what we showed them?’”

On Wednesday afternoon, Canepa said the time spent with the couple was useful.

She emphasized that she does not believe the project would have lasting impacts, either through sediment deposition or prolonged effects on flow, on Jones and Gleason’s spring.

Gleason finds little comfort in this prediction, observing that any time without potable water would be injurious.

“We don’t think the project justifies the potential damage to our water supply,” he said.

Meanwhile, Canepa said the Forest Service would remove a selection of tree species that are less fire-resistant than other species. The goal, she said, is to reduce the chance for a wildfire “crowning,” meaning the fire has ascended from the ground into the forest canopy.

The Forest Service said the Crystal Cedar Project “includes vegetation treatments that move the project area toward desired conditions for forest stands and fire behavior, while contributing wood products to the local economy.”

Jones said she was struck during the visit by Canepa and others that the Forest Service team seemed surprised by the amount of riparian habitat they encountered on their walk.

Later, Canepa said she and others knew the project area includes substantial wetlands, fens and riparian habitat, but acknowledged there will be field work to more fully identify these features.

“It’s been a learning process,” she said. “Every time we go out we find areas we need to buffer out.”

Canepa said there will be buffers around riparian zones favored by grizzlies and other wildlife.

“We do want to direct trails away from riparian areas as much as possible,” she said.

The environmental assessment includes sections that examine the potential impacts of the project on Canada lynx, grizzlies, wolverines and other wildlife.

The assessment reports that human activity could negatively impact grizzly bears by displacing the animals from preferred habitats.

“Grizzly bears are highly dependent upon learned habitat; disturbance or displacement into unknown territory may lead to sub-marginal nutrition, reduced reproduction, or greater exposure to adult predatory bears or human food sources, which can lead to human-caused mortality,” the assessment observes.

Bear experts have expressed concerns that mountain bikers traveling quickly and quietly through grizzly habitat can result in dangerous encounters.

The Crystal Cedar Project’s environmental assessment suggests that “the likelihood of a human-bear conflict is moderate.”

Canepa said trail design would emphasize maintaining sight distances and incorporate signs at trailheads to alert mountain bikers how to travel more safely in bear habitat.

Sam Kavanagh is vice president of Gateway to Glacier Trail, a nonprofit “dedicated to building connectivity through trails and paths in the Columbia Falls and Greater Glacier area.”

To date, the organization has funded and built a paved path from Hungry Horse to West Glacier. And it has worked with the Forest Service to incorporate trails in the Crystal Cedar Project. Gateway to Glacier would build the trails to Forest Service standards and maintain them too.

“We really want to see this as an asset to the community,” Kavanagh said.

He said he travels now from Columbia Falls to Whitefish for mountain biking.

“We want to be able to recreate from our home,” Kavanagh said.

He said trail users, whether hikers, mountain bikers or equestrians, tend to be good stewards of public lands.

Kavanagh said Gateway to Glacier would be open to hearing from Gleason and Jones and others concerned about the proposed new network of trails.

“We’re certainly doing our best to reach out to all the stakeholders,” he said.

Canepa emphasized that the Crystal Cedar Project as currently described is not a done deal.

“We’re in a comment period,” she said. “Nothing has been decided at this point in time.”

On Wednesday evening, Gleason and Jones spent time again reviewing the project’s environmental assessment as they prepared to submit comments.

In the midst of that discussion, Jones said, the couple watched as a large grizzly ambled through their yard.

Earlier, Jones had said she hopes the Forest Service will be responsive to their concerns.

“There’s a lot at stake here,” she said.

The environmental assessment for the Crystal Cedar Project can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=52844

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