Forest Service issues Island Unit decision

After five years of debate and two environmental assessments, the Forest Service issued a decision to go ahead and add both motorized and non-motorized trails on the Island Unit Trail on Blacktail Mountain above Lakeside.

Approval of the Island Unit management plan’s Alternative C came on July 3, after a 30-day public comment period between February and March yielded 100 comments for the Forest Service to respond to.

One of the conerns shared by objectors to the management plan is the potential for increasing the illegal off-road use that already happens on the Island Unit, an issue the Forest Service is trying to mitigate with the management plan.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist John Vore said if it was a for sure thing that motorized trail users would stay on designated trails, than it would minimize the impact motorized users have on wildlife habitat for elk and grizzly bears. But, in Vore’s eyes, adding more motorized trails to the Island Unit will just exacerbate the problem.

“If you’re opening more trails for them to go off of,” Vore said. “Than it just encourages that (illegal use).”

Blacktail’s Island Unit is 46,000 acres that stretches from just above Lakeside, northwest to outside of Kila and southeast almost to Lake Mary Ronan.

The decision authorizes 2.98 miles of new motorized trail construction and making use of about 38.62 miles of existing National Forest System roads and trails. Including the existing Blacktail Wild Bill Off-Highway Vehicle Trail, motorized trails will total 51.93 miles.

Non-motorized trail additions will include a total of 11.46 miles of new single-track trail that stretches along the north end of the Island Unit. In theory the trail would eventually connect a Lakeside to Blacktail trail with the Foys to Blacktail trail.

In the eyes of the Forest Service, Alternative C balances out the needs of hikers, bikers, horseback riders, off-highway vehicle trail users, wildlife habitat areas and other environmental considerations that complicated the decision making process.

“The purpose and need from the project from day one has always been to provided motorized and non-motorized trail opportunities,” said Andrew Johnson, resource forester for the Swan Lake Ranger District. “Our goal is to provide both.”

The decision attempts to minimize the possiblity of social conflict by separating motorized and non-motorized trails and designating them to opposite sides of the Island Unit.

FWP Elk habitat concerns were addressed by designating trails away from current elk security areas. Wildlife security areas are required to be a minimum of 250 acres or larger and be at least a half-mile away from an open road.

Unless an appeal or litigation is filed against the decision, construction will begin this summer.

Montana State Parks granted $12,000 toward the project in 2009, but the grant has been on hold, waiting for a decision to be made. If the grant isn’t used by October, it goes away.

Vore said, FWP is encouraging the Forest Service to increase the enforcement presence on the Island Unit as a way to curb illegal off-road trail usage.

Johnson said that illegal trail-use off the existing Will Bill OHV Trail is virtually non-existant because four-wheel drive clubs in the area, the Flathead Valley’s Big Sky Four-Wheelers and Polson’s Skyliners Four-Wheel Drive Club, have taken steps to educate their members.

“We don’t have social trail use off of the existing OHV-trail system,” Johnson said. “I don’t think we’re going to have those problems on the new trail.”

He also said that as part of the management plan, the Forest Service is looking at new ways to curb illegal trail use off of existing Forest Service Roads on the Island Unit, by fixing barriers, berms or gates, that have been ineffective at detering illegal off-roading.

By giving motorized trail-users more options, and building trail designed specifically for off-highway use, the Forest Service thinks illegal trail-use will be reduced.

Adam Rissien of Wildlands CPR has been working with concerned Lakeside residents since the first Island Unit trails proposal came out in 2007. He argues that the Island Unit has 127 miles of Forest Service roads that can already be used for off-road use, and there is no need for more motorized opportunities on the unit.

“The agency believes that providing more off-road vehicle opportunities will decrease the amount of illegal use in the area, but provides no evidence that this actually works. In fact, people who break the law will continue to do so no matter how many roads and trail the Forest Service opens for off-road vehicles,” Rissien said.

Rissien said he has plans to put together an appeal to the Forest Service’s decision before the appeal process is over, 45 days after the legal notice appears in the Daily Inter Lake.

The project file is available for review at the Swan Lake Ranger Station, 200 Ranger Station Road, Bigfork, MT 59911.