Kalispell, MT. August 3, 2016 –The Swan lake Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest invites the public to review and provide input on the Environmental Assessment for the proposed Blacktail Road Project.
The Blacktail Road, Road #917 is located on the Island Unit of the Swan Lake Ranger District and Flathead County, and serves as the primary access to National Forest System lands in the Blacktail Mountain area from the community of Lakeside and U. S. Highway 93. The road provides access to the Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, motorized and non-motorized trail systems, the Blacktail Mountain Nordic Cross-Country Ski Trail System, and other recreation such as huckleberry picking, hiking, and pleasure driving. Blacktail Road is also a primary route for Forest Service management activities in the area, provides access to the communication facilities on top of Blacktail Mountain, and access to adjacent private lands.
The project aims to stabilize and restore about 10 miles of road starting where the Flathead County jurisdiction ends, about milepost 3.5, to the top of Blacktail Mountain. Proposed activities for the project include transferring jurisdiction of about 2 miles of road, reconstructing the road to accommodate a two lane road with an asphalt surface; minor road alignments for safety and resource protection; stabilizing the fill slopes on a lower road segment above Stoner Creek; improving road drainage; replacing stream culverts as needed; and using the existing Blacktail gravel pit at milepost 13 to generate material for road reconstruction.
Comments on this proposed project will be accepted for 30 days beginning on the first day after the date of publication of the legal notice in the Daily Inter Lake, so that input may be included in the analysis. Written, hand-delivered, and oral comments can be delivered to District Ranger, Rich Kehr at 200 Ranger Station Road, Bigfork, MT 59911; by fax (406)837-7503; or by phone at (406)837-7501. Please submit electronic comments tocomments-northern-flathead-swan-lake@fs.fed.us with the project name in the subject line.
For more information on the Blacktail Road Project, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/projects or contact Rich Kehr, District Ranger, (406)-837-7501.
