Comments sought on Blankenship bank stabilization

Flathead County and the United States Forest Service are seeking comments on a proposed project near Blankenship Bridge on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

“We are really trying to protect a critical asset,” said Dave Prunty, Flathead County public works director. 

A scoping letter, outlining the project and signed by Hungry Horse-Glacier View district ranger Robert Davies, was released on Jan. 9. Interested parties have until Jan. 31 to comment. 

The purpose of the project, according to the scoping letter, is to enact erosion control measures, stabilize the northwest portion of the bridge area and improve fish habitat. 

The banks along the bridge, near West Glacier, have seen significant erosion in recent years, Prunty said, specifically after a flood event in June 2022* that occurred in the northwest quadrant upstream of the bridge. 

The concern, if not addressed, could negatively impact the road used to access the bridge, Prunty says. The bridge itself is a significant travel route.

Specifically, the project includes the installation of class three riprap using large boulders, logs and root wads, paired with the planting of riparian shrubs and trees. The outcome, the scoping letter says, would reduce bank erosion, create more cover for fish and improve habitat for native westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. 

The work, the letter reads, will mainly occur on lands managed by the county, but stabilization efforts will extend upstream onto public lands managed by the Flathead National Forest. Flathead County brought their concerns about the erosion to the Forest Service, who are now working together on the project, specifically on those public lands. 

“There is rip rap currently right up against that bridge, but this kind of extends its armorning,” said MJ Crandall, recreation lead for the Hungry Horse Recreation District at the Forest Service. 

The portion of the river that the project is proposed on is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, meaning that the river must be preserved due to its natural, cultural and recreational value. 

The project, according to Crandall, keeps this in mind as the design will not only protect the banks from erosion, but it will also benefit fisheries.

“We needed to strike that balance because it is a wild and scenic river,” he said.

The scoping letter also determined that the project may fall within a category of projects that is exempt from an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement for restoring water bodies. 

The county is very interested in completing this project before the next high water season, meaning that if approved, work would begin this year. 

“All in all, this is just really important,” Prunty said. 

Comments may be submitted online to comments-northern-flathead-hungry-horse-glacier-view@usda.gov with “Blankenship Bank Stabilization and Habitat Improvement Project” in the subject line. Written comments can be mailed to Rob Davies, District Ranger at P.O. Box 190340, Hungry Horse, MT 59919.

*This article has been updated to correct an error reporting the flood event upstream of the bridge was in June 2023 to the correct date of June 2022.