DNRC to hold meeting on proposed Woods Bay sale

By ALEX STRICKLAND/Bigfork Eagle

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has announced a meeting to discuss the future of 440 acres of state-owned land in Woods Bay that is being considered for sale as part of the agency's land banking program.

The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork.

The land banking program, established in 2003, allows the DNRC to sell a piece of land and use the money generated to purchase another parcel somewhere else. The program is designed to help the agency most effectively generate revenue for state education by eliminating isolated or non-revenue generating parcels, according to Kalispell Unit Manager Greg Poncin.

The possible sale of the parcel has met with strong resistance from East Shore residents who cite the area's open space and recreational value to the community of Woods Bay and the surrounding area. On the property are Estes Lake and Lower Estes Lake, popular summer hiking spots.

Poncin said the DNRC has "heard the community loud and clear," but that the agency cannot fulfill its legal obligation to the school trust by leaving the parcel as-is.

"The best solution for everybody lies in working together," he said.

What the DNRC is looking for, then, are creative solutions to satisfy the agency's obligations and the community's desires. Some ideas already being considered are possible land swaps with the Forest Service, a Natural Area designation that would have a lease paid by a third party and a possible conservation easement that could be sold to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Poncin said he was aware of some of Woods Bay's water and sewer problems and said that with the right ideas, the 400-acre property could help alleviate those issues.

"The sale of the land could help solve problems, too," he said.

At a community meeting hosted by outgoing House District 9 Representative Bill Jones and HD9 candidate Edd Blackler on April 17, community members spoke out against the sale unanimously. Wildlife biologist Byron Crow said he's been studying peregrine falcons on adjacent Forest Service Land for years and that the area was home to many rare species.

"There's snowshoe hare up there, and they're an indicator species for lynx," he said at the April 17 meeting. The Canadian Lynx are protected under the endangered species act.

Poncin said that many options are on the table for discussion and that a firm time frame does not exist for pounding out a solution or going forward with the land banking.

"The challenge is to keep this thing moving and to keep people motivated to find a solution," he said.

The DNRC has not logged the parcel since the 1950's, Poncin said, and attempts to procure permanent access, which is the kind the agency wants, have been unsuccessful in recent years.

The combination of the parcel's isolation — it borders only Forest Service and private lands — and the lack of access and revenue, make it a candidate to be land banked.

But that doesn't mean it's a done deal by any stretch, according to Poncin.

"There are successful models of community-based land acquisition and preservation around Montana and we'll talk about some of these," he said. "And we want people to come forward with their own ideas."