The Flathead National Forest has proposed to build new rental cabins on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness without analyzing the impacts these cabins pose to big game, grizzly bears, and other sensitive species, or the potential for snowmobiles to illegally access the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The public has until April 6th to submit comments (see below).

The Proposal

The Spotted Bear Ranger District proposes to convert a free, primitive campground at Bunker Park on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness to a rental cabin complex featuring four new six-person cabins and associated gravel parking areas, three trailer pads, a new livestock corral, a well, kiosk, toilet, river barricade, and a children’s playground. The cabins would be available for rent from mid May to the end of March. This proposed project will essentially replace the existing free camping opportunities at Bunker Park which are traditionally used for freestanding tent and trailer camping. This project will create a new destination for visitors to a remote, relatively unvisited part of the forest, showing up not only as an area of rental cabins of recreation.gov, but also as a campground on the official maps. The Forest Service proposes to conduct the project as a categorical exclusion, bypassing any analysis of the potential environmental impacts.

Our View

Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance opposes the Forest Service moving forward with the project until more information about the potential consequences are released to the public and appropriately analyzed. Our main concern is that the project will increase snowmobile use in the area and along with that, the potential for unregulated motorized trespass, particularly by snowmobiles, into the Bob Marshall and the adjacent Bunker-Alcove recommended wilderness as snowmobilers could use the cabins as a fuel cache to facilitate longer trips. The Bunker-Alcove area provides important winter habitat for elk and mountain goats. The area is also critical Lynx habitat and core grizzly bear habitat, both species that could be impacted by increased snowmobile use.

Executive Director Peter Metcalf explains, “Snowmobile trespass into closed areas of our national forests threatens sensitive wildlife species and disrupts the opportunity for other people to enjoy quiet winter recreation. Until the Forest Service can get a handle on snowmobile trespass, it should not be inviting more of the same by building cabins in a remote location where access to closed areas is easy and enforcement is difficult. The Forest Service especially should not do so without fully analyzing the effects of the project. We ask the Forest Service to extend the public comment period until May 21st and to conduct an environmental assessment as required by law.”

What You Can Do

We encourage you to submit a comment opposing the proposed project. In your comment, please ask the Forest Service to extend the 30-day public comment period to 75 days, and to conduct an appropriate environmental analysis of the project.

More information about the project is available from the Forest Service here.

Comments can be submitted via email at: comments-northern-flathead-spotted-bear@usda.gov