Groups oppose county funds for Seeley Lake’s federal trails
Laura Lundquist
(Missoula Current) Missoula County’s recent support for a new system of trails for mechanized vehicles on federal land near Seeley Lake has drawn criticism from conservation groups and individuals.
Last week, representatives of 16 nonprofit organizations and more than 50 individuals sent a letter to the Missoula County Commission protesting the $250,000 in county funds that had been promised to a Seeley Lake organization for building a system of trails on Lolo National Forest lands.
On March 26, the county commissioners approved a Dec. 16 application from Scenic Montana Trails that requested $250,000 from the 2014 Parks and Trails bond. Scenic Montana Trails is a Seeley Lake-based organization that touts itself on its website as a “group of highly skilled Western Montana specialists dedicated to year-round trail conservation for all things mechanized.”
The county’s donation would more than double the trails’ total funds to $400,000, including $90,000 from the U.S. Forest Service and $62,000 from the federal Recreational Trails Program, according to the Scenic Montana Trails announcement. The total would allow the organization to build 18 of the planned 30 miles of nonmotorized biking trails. The organization needs $1.5 million to complete their project over the next four years.
According to the Scenic Montana Trails website, the Seeley Ranger District “is heavily involved in making this project a reality and is seeking permission to construct additional parking areas, vault toilets, and possibly dispersed camping to complement the bike trails.”
But that’s where the conservation groups are crying foul on both the county and the Lolo National Forest.
The trail system would be built on the lower western slopes of the Swan Range northeast of Seeley Lake. The letter argues that the trail system is embedded within a logging project, the North Seeley Wildlife Urban Interface - Highway 83 project, that was authorized under emergency fire regulations to reduce wildfire risk, not to develop recreational trails or other infrastructure.
“This portion of the decision is likely illegal and it seems that Missoula County would be prohibited from contributing to a project approved under illegal circumstances,” the letter said.
As to Missoula County, the letter argues that the 2014 Parks and Trails Bond is intended to be used for trails on county or city property, not on federal property. So the county commission's decision could amount to misuse of funds.
Allison Franz, Missoula County spokesperson, said Missoula County was reviewing the details of the letter and would respond within the week.
The letter points out that the proposed trail system would wind through occupied grizzly habitat. Last fall, hunters shot and killed two grizzly bears in the area below Pyramid Pass near where the trails would be built.
Roads and mechanized trails pose a threat to grizzly bears due to human presence and the speed of travel, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Species Status Assessment for Grizzly Bears. There can also be safety concerns for people who surprise bears on the trail. For example, in 2016, a West Glacier man died after he surprised a grizzly bear while riding his mountain bike on a forested trail in the Halfmoon Lakes area south of Glacier National Park.
Some of the Seeley Lake trails are planned for possible high school mountain bike league race courses. Other trails have steep grades of 6-8% or 10-12% and are intended only for downhill runs for advanced riders.
Scenic Montana Trails is hoping the Seeley trails will become a biking destination, bringing tourist dollars into the community to offset revenue lost when Pyramid Timber shut down. But that means the trails would also bring in out-of-state riders who are unaware of Montana’s wildlife and how to avoid surprising a grizzly.
The conservation groups point out that the project’s only effort to prevent conflict with bears is to post bear-aware signs at trailheads. Nothing is being planned regarding trail speed limits, party size, trail density or seasons of use.
When Connie Poten and Anja Heister of Footloose Montana asked Commissioner Josh Slotnik about the decision, Slotnik indicated the area was considered a sacrifice zone, according to the letter.
“We understand the desire to promote economic opportunities in the area because of the recent closure of the timber mill, but replacing one environmentally damaging industry with another hardly seems forward looking,” the letter said. “We urge you to step back from this trail development plan until the County and the Forest Service engage in a thorough environmental review and public involvement process that is separate from the Highway 83 project and its approval via the emergency fire regulations."
The organizations signing the letter include Footloose Montana, Wilderness Watch, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force, Friends of the Wild Swan, Swan View Coalition, Western Watersheds Project, and Save the Yellowstone Grizzly, among others.
Contact reporter Laura Lundquist at lundquist@missoulacurrent.com.