Commissioners balance delicate land issues

Bigfork Eagle

Lake County commissioners Gail Decker and Ann Brower visited Ferndale last week to get an on-the-ground perspective to a local — and ongoing — problem: river access.

The commissioners stood next to a locked gate, listening to neighbors’ concerns over why the gate on Rainbow Drive is a good idea.

The gate prevents access to the Swan River on a narrow swath of county land. Over the last few years, use has increased dramatically on the river access on Rainbow Drive. Neighbors of the popular access fought to get it closed, and it currently is; it’s open only on weekends until the commissioners develop a strategy that will satisfy the needs of the public and those of the adjacent landowners.

Prior to this access being opened, most river users in that area put in at the nearby bridge on South Ferndale Drive. Kaye McCreedy, a former Lake County parks board member and nearby Ferndale resident, set out to solve the overcrowding issue there and pushed for opening the new access.

“It’s my fault this is here, but the bridge was getting out of hand,” McCreedy said. “We didn’t have the foresight to see how many people would be floating from here.”

McCreedy said a private landowner helped clear the land and create the river access, which has since been graded and paved. There are no public restrooms, and trash collection is done by Swan Lakers, a local conservation organization.

While she claims responsibility for the creation of what neighbors call a nuisance, she said, “I rather like the access. I want to keep it open. I don’t know of any river float that’s more beautiful than this.”

Decker said parking and sanitation are the main issue at the Rainbow Drive access, and he proposed purchasing an adjacent lot and creating a parking lot for the river access.

He sees the same issues around Lake County, and around Flathead Lake, where the county owns small tracts of public land next to valuable private land.

Decker empathized with the local residents in Ferndale, but said the county should preserve public access. When local residents push him to sell the Rainbow Drive land and close the access, “I tell them ‘Fine, let’s sell it, but find us a better place,’” he said. “There just isn’t any.”

Grant Holle, a former Lake County sheriff’s deputy who is also on the parks board, visited the river access last week with the two Lake County commissioners. Commissioner Bill Barron did not attend.

Holle said Lake County last year wrote 30 parking citations in one day, but it doesn’t deter people from parking on the narrow, paved road. “Nobody’s happy here,” he said, “and it’s very time consuming” patrolling the area with law enforcement.

There is a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks access about a half mile downstream from the Rainbow Drive access, but that access cuts off a good portion of the fishing and whitewater. “For a lot of people this is their only river access,” Decker said. “We’ve spent hours discussing ways to solve this.”

Nearby landowner Diana Bell said the commissioners should close the site permanently. She worries about her son’s safety during the busy summer months. “It’s unconscionable that my son can’t go for a walk,” she said. She said commissioners should respect the local landowners who pay taxes on the nearby properties. Decker said the river access is open for anyone.

“Public access is public access, no matter where you’re from,” he said.

Nearby resident Peggy Moore said she helps pick up garbage from the river access after busy weekends. She realizes not all people who float rivers leave litter and park illegally. “There are good, family people coming here,” she said. “It’s a shame that neither Flathead or Lake county has provided enough public access.”

Commissioner Brower said the river access will be open only on weekends until they find a solution. “There are too many issues involved to open this seven days,” she said. “We have to come up with a longterm decision.”