Public, officials visit potential park site at Deep Bay

By JACOB DORAN/Bigfork Eagle

Few would question the fact that the Himsl property, which is currently being considered by state and county officials for its recreational potential, holds a wealth of beauty, but some objectors point out that looks can be deceiving.

In fact, individuals who have used the bay for swimming say swimmer's itch is a frequent problem, and that is a claim that officials will have to look at more closely after last week's meeting to generate public support for the Himsl property, if the 767 feet of lake frontage and 100 feet of county-owned frontage are to be used as a swimming beach.

Of the 55 people who attended the meeting, about five expressed concerns or said they had not been given sufficient information to make a decision as to whether they would support the purchase and suggested use of the property.

Local artist Terry Mimnaugh, who lives on the point at Deep Bay, was one of the most vocal opponents during meeting, last Monday. As a neighboring property owner, she stressed her concern about previous statements that the neighbors were supportive of the Himsl property being used as a state park. She added that she believed boat slips would be impractical on the proposed frontage due to the steep, rocky slope as well as the inadequate diameter of the bay and that the swimmers itch would prevent either children or adults from using the water.

"Anyone who has ever swam there only does it once because the swimmers itch is so bad," Mimnaugh said.

Jim Craft, a Research Specialist for the Flathead Lake Biological Station confirmed last week that because Deep Bay is protected from lake currents it is likely to have a higher concentration of swimmers itch. However, he compared the bay to Yellow Bay, another protected bay with a similar beach and bottom, noting that Yellow Bay has a similarly high incident of swimmer's itch but also features a dock and swimming beach that see frequent use.

"Anytime that you have an increased population of snails, you'll typically have an increased occurrence of swimmers itch," Craft said.

"Protected areas with very little wave activity tend to have an increase of algae and an increased occurrence of swimmers itch. It's tough to use swimmers itch as negative point, because swimmer tend to like the areas with calm waters."

LPAC chair Tamara Tanberg said she did not believe the swimmers itch represented a significant issue or deterrent to the proposed use, nor did she believe that other factors like an absence of sewer or the steep, unmaintained road access would pose a problem.

After viewing the property, Flathead County Commissioner Gary Hall said he believed the access road had a solid base, which could be improved far more easily than some had suggested.

"This is an incredibly beautiful property," Hall said. "If we don't buy it and use it as a park, some developer will. I could easily see someone building a nice hotel up on the hill. Even if we did nothing with it for several years, it would be worth it to keep this property undeveloped so that future generations could enjoy it."

Others who attended the meeting added that, while the $15 million for which the property is being offered could be spent on a lot of worthwhile things, Flathead residents need to ask themselves what would be a better legacy to leave for future generations—a sentiment that seemed to be shared by state and county officials who said residents need to be more far-sighted about the real value of such investments.

"This area, like so much of the Flathead, seems like such a nice, well-kept secret," Tanberg said. "To look at it and say it's inadequate is unfair."