Keep Whitefish River open to motorboats

My family has lived on the Whitefish River for 14 years. Our property lies just south of the JP Road bridge and we are completely against the closure of the river to motorized traffic.

I use my paddleboard and float on the river frequently with my two children and dog. I have never feared for my safety.

We use our small aluminum boat with a 9 hp engine and take it from our house to the lake with our kids three to four times a year. We always observe the no wake limit.

It will be impossible for us to reach the lake through the large culverts without an engine. And due to those culverts, it’s impossible to get upstream much after June when the water depth drops.

This rule to close the river to motorized traffic would take away access on a public waterway from a group of us downstream, and for what reason? There have not been any incidents of injuries. This is the Whitefish River and yes it has been cleaned by Burlington Northern, but this section is not a pristine, wild and scenic waterway like lower McDonald Creek, for example. It flows through town, along roadways and is diverted through enormous pipes.

Unfortunately, a small group of people have spoken loudly on this, but they are not the majority. All the people I have talked to about this don’t even understand why this is an issue. Motorized boat traffic is infrequent.

Please, if you care at all to maintain access to the river, don’t allow a small group of people to take it away from us. Email Cjust@mt.gov and give your opinion to fish and wildlife who have the authority to make the final decision on this.

— Alessandra Beers