Scoping begins for proposed Bad Rock Wildlife Management Area

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has opened a public scoping period on a potential proposal to acquire 800 acres of forestland near Columbia Falls to protect water quality and important fish and wildlife habitat while providing free public recreational access.

FWP is working with the Flathead Land Trust on a potential acquisition of 800 acres of undeveloped land along 1.6 miles of the Flathead River just east of Columbia Falls.

The Columbia Falls Aluminum Company, a subsidiary of Glencore, has decided to sell the property and has given FWP a two-year window to complete this project.

Comments received during the scoping period will help FWP determine public interest in the proposed project, identify potential issues that would require further analysis, and could provide insight for refining the proposal or developing and analyzing additional alternatives. Upon completion of the scoping period, FWP will determine next steps, which could include conducting an environmental analysis with additional opportunity for public input or taking no further action on the proposed project.

The deadline for comments is Nov. 29, 2020.

The city of Columbia Falls has already supported the project as have local members of the state Legislature.

Under FWP’s proposal, the land would be conserved as a Wildlife Management Area. The property is winter range for elk, moose and white-tailed deer. Completion of this project would safeguard vital habitat and a travel corridor for bull trout and grizzly bears, Endangered Species Act-listed species found on the property. This key corridor is located at a geographic pinch point where the Flathead River flows through the very narrow Bad Rock Canyon. The project is adjacent to a large block of public lands and would add to a 12,000-acre network of conserved land along a 43-mile reach of the Flathead River between Columbia Falls and Flathead Lake, FWP notes.

The property currently provides an excellent opportunity for youth hunters to harvest elk and white-tailed deer just minutes from Columbia Falls, which would also be lost if this property were developed, FWP said in a release.

A partial trail has been constructed on the property by Gateway to Glacier Trail, Inc., a local nonprofit group granted a revocable license issued by CFAC to allow access for hikers, bikers, birdwatchers and others. Under FWP ownership, public access could be managed to preserve wildlife presence and hunting opportunities while allowing compatible trail and property use.

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, FWP’s Habitat Montana program, and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, known as the Pittman–Robertson, could all be possible funding sources for this project, along with private funding raised by the Flathead Land Trust.

In a preliminary funding application to the Forest Legacy Program, this proposed project ranked fifth in the nation out of 46 projects due to its high conservation values. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the funding source for the Forest Legacy Program.

To read the full scoping notice, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices. Submit either written or e-mailed comments by Nov. 29, 2020, to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Kris Tempel, Habitat Conservation Biologist; Re: Proposed Wildlife Management Area; 490 N. Meridian Road; Kalispell, MT 59901, or ktempel@mt.gov.