Land swap proposed to save Jesus statue

A private-public land swap may be the ticket to keeping a statue of Jesus Christ on Big Mountain. It’s at least a good back-up plan, Rep. Denny Rehberg says.

Rehberg is seeking public comment on draft legislation to exchange approximately 625 square feet of land between Whitefish Mountain Resort and the federal government. Under the bill, the Secretary of Agriculture would convey the land currently used for the World War II statue of Jesus. In exchange, the resort would provide the same amount of land to the Federal Government.

“Fortunately, the public outcry in Montana and around the country bought us some time,” Rehberg said in a press release. “I certainly hope the Forest Service will respect the wishes of just about everyone in the local community, but if they decide to fold to out-of-state lawyers, it’s important to have an ace in the hole. That’s what this bill is about — it’s a common sense solution that we can use if other avenues don’t work.”

Rehberg has worked closely with Whitefish Mountain Resort CEO Dan Graves in crafting the bill.

“We are honored to be able to help preserve this wonderful piece of history on Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort in honor of our veterans," said Graves.

The statue, which sits near the top of Chair 2, is on land leased from the Forest Service since 1953.

An August decision by the U.S. Forest Service put the statue in jeopardy for remaining in its current location. Then last month the Forest Service withdrew that decision to take public comment on the issue.

The permit for the statue expired last year. The Knights of Columbus applied for renewal, but were denied after concerns that the statue violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution for promoting any religious doctrine.

The Forest Service is currently taking public comment on a proposal to re-issue the Knights of Columbus special use permit. The comment period runs through Dec. 8. Comments can be emailed to comments-northern-flathead-tally-lake@fs.fed.us. Include the title Knights of Columbus Special Use Permit Reauthorization Project in the subject line.

Emailed comments will be confirmed by return email.  Only the first email from each sender will receive an email confirmation.

Mailed and faxed comments should be addressed to Project Leader Derek Milner, Tally Lake Ranger District, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901 or faxed to (406) 758-5367. The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.