The state parks board approved a lease extension for Big Arm State Park, giving land managers more time to negotiate a permanent easement for the popular public site along Flathead Lake.
The Montana State Parks & Recreation Board voted in favor of a four-year extension during Wednesday’s meeting in Helena.
The decision gives the Montana State Parks agency authority to continue renting Big Arm, which sits on state trust lands. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation leases the land to the state parks agency. In 2017, the lease payment will be $21,552 and will rise annually to $24,243 by 2020.
The latest lease was set to expire Feb. 28.
State parks officials proposed the lease extension while negotiations are ongoing for a permanent easement at the site that would keep the park intact.
“The challenge ahead is finding that long-term solution,” Dave Landstrom, regional director for Montana State Parks in Kalispell, said.
The primary responsibility for state trust lands is to generate revenue for the trust, which supports public education in Montana. The DNRC is mandated to maximize their revenue on trust lands. Montana has 5.2 million acres of state trust land.
The agencies have worked out deals in the past to secure conservation easements on trust land, including the recent acquisition of easements at Thompson Falls State Park and Lewis and Clark Caverns.
The challenge at Big Arm, state officials say, will be meeting the projected appraised value of a large section of lakeshore property on Flathead Lake.
“Every one acknowledges the appraised value will be high,” Landstrom said.
Established in 1966, the 217-acre park is one of six state parks serving Flathead Lake. The site offers 48 tent and RV campsites, a group campsite, three yurts and day-use facilities, including toilets and picnic tables, while providing year-round boat access. It is the primary launching point to Wild Horse Island State Park.
Big Arm is typically the second most popular state park on Flathead Lake in terms of visitation. In 2015, an estimated 40,500 people visited the site, a 15 percent increase over 2014, according to state data.
State parks officials will be in the Flathead Valley next week to focus on the topic of Montana’s state parks and the value of outdoor recreation to the economy as part of a multi-day conference, organized in part by the newly formed Montana State Parks Foundation and the Business for Montana’s Outdoors.
Luis Benitez, director of the newly established Colorado Office of the Outdoor Recreation Industry, will appear at one of the main events on March 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Casey’s in Whitefish. As the event’s special guest, he will lead an evening discussion about the value of parks and outdoor recreation in Montana and how residents can advocate for stronger statewide support of treasured places.