Float permits last resort official says

A Forest Service official said a permit system for floating the North Fork of the Flathead would be the last resort in efforts to manage increasing recreation on the river.

Glacier View/Hungry Horse District Ranger Rob Davies reiterated the complexities of a river management plan for the forks of the Flathead. The plan will be tailored to each drainage individually. A permit system for the North Fork would be a last resort, he told the crowd at the North Fork Interlocal meeting last week in Kalispell.

The agency is looking into other restrictive measures first, like decreasing parking spaces at river access sites, or restricting use during just the peak season. They also hope to increase public education and possibly implement some type of volunteer river ranger program. It is now the second year of the three-year planning process for a comprehensive river management plan for the three forks of the Flathead, and a draft plan is expected to be released around June of this year.

The Forest Service in the past has indicated it may require permits to float the North Fork and other heavily used sections of the rivers if certain visitor-use thresholds are met.

But the idea of permits has proven very unpopular with the public.

The idea of permits is not new — the Forest Service floated the idea of implementing a permit system for the upper stretches of the North Fork back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it was working on a river plan back then.

A permit system was never implemented.

In other news at the Interlocal:

- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported on new fishing regulations for 2020. Only single-point hooks will be allowed on the forks of the Flathead. Double and treble hooks can be snipped down to comply. They also reported on chronic wasting disease and advised against feeding any cervids hay or salt blocks since the disease is transmitted through bodily fluids and any concentrated feeding sites simply increase the chance of spread.

- Glacier National Park intends to open the inside North Fork road at Anaconda Creek in the north and at Dutch Creek in the south, shrinking the closed section from previous years. Fire crews will continue with the prescribed burning they’ve practiced for the last few years, both at Big Prairie and a couple sites south of Polebridge. Air quality data from a mobile monitoring station looking at particulate levels from the county road will be released to the public this summer. Staff housing at the North Fork entrance station, built by Columbia Falls High School building trades class is expected to be installed mid-May.

- Flathead County Roads and Bridges listened to concerns about magnesium chloride dust abatement and the muddy-like conditions the hydrophilic substance can cause during periods of high humidity like morning condensation or rainy weather. Dust levels have diminished as has gravel loss, and therefore gravel consumption, since beginning to use the method nearly 10 years ago, county officials noted.

The next North Fork Interlocal meeting will be held at 1 p.m. on July 8, at Sondreson Hall.