Proposed rule limits wakes on Lake Five

Lake Five near the gateway to Glacier National Park could see new boating restrictions next year after a work group came to a consensus Tuesday.

After five hours of deliberation, the group landed on a recommendation that wake enhancements and wake surfing should be prohibited on the lake until July 1. After that point, ballasts, wake enhancers and wake surfing are only allowed from noon to 6 p.m.

Seven members of the 10-person advisory group supported the recommendation that will be presented to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for consideration.

The work group was tasked with discussing recreational boating on Lake Five, a small lake near West Glacier, after the commission received a petition in October 2022 to prohibit wake surfing and devices used to increase wake size throughout the year, and to implement a no-wake restriction on the whole lake from April 1 to July 15.

The petitioner originally advocated for a July 15 start date to ensure water levels begin to lower before allowing big wakes. Other members of the work group argued for a June 15 start date to lengthen the season.

The group compromised on July 1, reserving the right for boaters to be on the lake during the Fourth of July holiday.

“It comes down to conservation, which means wise use,” Dan Simonson, a member of the work group and the original petitioner, said during the meeting.

The group met for the first time Aug. 24 where they discussed topics related to safety, natural resources and recreational use. The recent meeting was more focused on data points and creating a recommendation.

One data point noted that there has only been one boating accident on Lake Five since 2000, according to officials at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Kenny Breidinger, a fisheries biologist at the state wildlife agency, also shared data revealing that Lake Five’s water quality has degraded over time, although he said that could be for multiple reasons, such as productive plankton or high wakes.

“This is one thing where we do see changes in water quality,” Breidinger said. “One of the possibilities is that increasing boat activity could decrease water quality.”

Degradation of the lake was a common observation among some attendees who were concerned about sludge and shoreline erosion.

However, other members of the work group and public attendees disagreed with the notion.

Public participant Doug Wild, who lives on the northeast part of the lake, countered that he has seen no evidence of negative effects from recreational activity on the lake.

“We’ve seen no degradation,” Wild said.

Peter Martin, work group member and a resident of Lake Five, agreed.

“Lake Five practically is a water skiing lake,” Wild said. “Let’s not recreate a body of water to be something we want it to be.”

However, Minnesota resident Chuck Becker, a board member of SafeWakes for Minnesota Lakes, warned that new ballast technology will only allow for bigger wakes.

“What you folks are experiencing is happening basically everywhere that [ballast boats] operate,” Becker advised during public comments.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission decided not to initiate rulemaking on the proposed restrictions listed in the petition at their Feb. 22 meeting, choosing rather to assign a local work group with discussing the issue and coming up with a probable solution that represents multiple viewpoints.

When the commission discusses the work group’s recommendation, they will consider making the recommendation a rule which, if the rulemaking process is initiated, would include a public comment process.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.