Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 2.18.15

10 | FEBRUARY 18, 2015 NEWS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
A boater descends from his boat onto the shore of Wild Horse Island.
BEACON FILE PHOTO
Bill to Build Wild Horse Island Dock Passes
Facts
FIGURES
Numbers in the news
3.7%
Amount by which the number of jobs posted in the U.S. rose in December, reaching the highest level in 14 years, according to the Labor Department.
120
Win streak by the Fairfield girls basketball team, the longest of any sport in Montana high school history and the sixth longest on record in the nation for girls basketball. Choteau snapped the streak Feb. 12 with a 50-38 win.
$2.3
million
Budget shortfall the University of Montana could face in the 2016 fiscal year if projections for a dip in enrollment are realized.
Montana State Parks officials hope to build a public dock before 2016
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beeacon
With the passage of House Bill 82 in Helena, Montana State Parks officials will begin looking into building a new pub- lic dock on Wild Horse Island in Flathead Lake.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Greg Hertz, amends a law that is already on the books in Montana that prohibits the construc- tion of docks on state-owned islands. The law, MCA 77-1-405, was established in 1997 to help “retain the integrity of the recreational experience associated with Montana’s rivers and lake islands.” Hertz’s bill makes an exception for Wild Horse Is- land.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
asked Hertz to sponsor the bill.
“It’s the only island state park in Mon-
tana and we should have a public dock to get to it,” said Hertz, a Republican from Polson.
Wild Horse Island is the largest island in Flathead Lake and has been protected since 1978. It is home to numerous ani- mals, including wild horses.
The only way to access the 2,160-acre island is by boat at six different access points. There are no public boat docks and Dave Landstrom, regional manager for Montana State Parks, said issues have arisen in recent years with visitors using privately owned docks. Until now, people with large motorized boats have been un- able to dock without getting their feet wet.
Now that Montana State Parks has the authority to build a dock on the island, the agency will begin a Montana Environmen- tal Policy Act assessment. Landstrom said the agency would talk with local share- holders, including the Confederated Sal-
ish and Kootenai Tribes, about where the dock should be located. One possible loca- tion is Skeeko Bay.
Landstrom said the dock would likely be 60 feet long and 8 feet wide and able to comfortably accommodate four boats. He said on busy days, boaters would need to pull up to the dock, unload their passen- gers and gear and then anchor the boat away from the dock to leave room for oth- ers.
“As we see more visitors at Wild Horse Island the need for a public dock has be- come more apparent,” Landstrom said.
Visitation at Wild Horse Island and all of Montana’s state parks has steadily increased in recent years. In 2010, 16,900 people visited the island; last year visita- tion reached 19,700.
If Montana State Parks does build a dock on Wild Horse Island, Landstrom said it could be constructed as early as this summer.
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