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Woods Bay Land Sale up for Discussion

By Beacon Staff

How best to please Woods Bay residents, and reach the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s goals will open up for dialogue Thursday night in Bigfork.

Most people have spoken out against the proposed 440-acre sale of State School Trust Land in Woods Bay. The DNRC came out with a proposal to sell that parcel and buy a new one elsewhere because of difficulty in procuring permanent access. Without access, the DNRC can’t manage the land.

The sale would be possible through the Land Banking program. The Montana DNRC manages about 5.2-million acres of state school trust land according to the Montana government web site. This includes forest, agricultural, grazing and commercial properties the DNRC manages in order to generate revenue for schools. During the 2003 legislature the DNRC was given the Land Banking option so they could buy and sell properties to obtain easier management access or higher potential economic yield.

Public opposition to the proposed sale has challenged the DNRC’s lack of access stance and taken issue with the sale of a popular recreation area. The meeting runs from 6 to 8PM Thursday, June 12th at the Bethany Lutheran Church on Highway 35, on the southern end of Bigfork.