Another Proposed Comprehensive River Management plan expected in January

A second attempt at a proposed action for the long awaited Comprehensive Management Plan is expected to be released in early January Flathead National Forest spokeswoman Kira Powell confirmed last week.

The plan is a blueprint for the management of the 219 miles of Wild and Scenic waterways of the North, Middle and South forks of the Flathead. The plan is being crafted by the Flathead National Forest in cooperation with the National Park Service.

The North and Middle Forks make up a large portion of the boundary of Glacier National Park. An initial proposed action and public scoping was released in 2019, but it never became a final plan.

Since then the plan has progressed in fits and starts, marked by delays, which included a pandemic and an historic surge in summer river usage.

Separately,  Powell said special use permits for five commercial rafting and outfitting companies are expected to be completed by March.

She said the permits are currently undergoing environmental review and consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Endangered Species. But having said that, the plan is to renew the permits for 10 years with little changes so they meet the constraints of a categorical exclusion.

However, the permits will contain language that will allow changes to them if need be, based on the final CRMP, which is expected to be completed  by March, 2026.

The permits renewals have raised the ire of some river users, as they claim reissuing the permits should require more environmental analysis immediately.

Commercial river usage, particularly on the lower Middle Fork, has surged in the past few years and reached its height during the pandemic. Since then it has leveled off somewhat.

River usage by locals has also increased, as more people live in the valley and a host of rental companies that make it easy to rent a craft for a day have surged as well.

Climate change and brutally hot summers have also had an impact on the rivers. For the first time ever, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks implemented “hoot owl” restrictions on the North Fork in late July, which  prohibits fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight each day. July was marked by record-breaking heat as temperatures held in the mid to upper 90s for weeks and even reached 100 in late July.