KALISPELL – This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
There are more than 3,000 lakes and 38 million acres of public lands in Montana that generate more than $7 billion annually, according to the Outdoor Recreation Association.
The state’s thousands of miles of waterways are a large part of what drives the outdoor economy.
The three forks of the Flathead River was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1976 and is a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The river and surrounding lands offer recreational opportunities and access to outstanding resources for a variety of public lands users.
The Flathead National Forest, in coordination and partnership with Glacier National Park, has begun the process to prepare a Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) for the three forks of the river.
The plan will focus on scenery and recreation monitoring, management, and concerns as part of the efforts to develop the plan.
Some of the planned project activities will include reviewing the existing Flathead River Wild and Scenic River Recreation Management Direction and River Management Plan.
The new plan will address the current status of these resources, outline goals and desired conditions, determine user capacities, and create a monitoring strategy and plan to carry forward.
