Page 28 - Flathead Beacon // 7.16.14

28 | JULY 16, 2014
NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM
A no trespassing sign at the Swan River access point along Rainbow Drive on July 9. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
“WE DON’T WANT TO PERMANENTLY
CLOSE IT. WE KNOW THE PUBLIC UTILIZES IT. BUT WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES BECAUSE OF THE HIGH USE.”
Ann Brower, Commissioner, Lake County
SWAN RIVER
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features a paved turnaround and dirt embankment leading to the river, is open on weekends with a sheriff’s dep- uty patrolling the area for illegal park- ing and littering.
The commission will address the subject July 21 as an item on the agenda for the upcoming parks board meeting. The meeting starts at 3:30 p.m. inside the commissioners’ office in Polson.
“We don’t want to permanently close it. We know the public utilizes it.
But we need to address the issues because of the high use,” said Ann Brower, one of three commissioners in Lake County. “There is a safety issue there. It’s not something (area neigh- bors are) blowing up in their minds. There’s a blind corner right there and with the amount of people literally in the road, it’s dangerous.”
Brower said the site is being closed on the weekdays because the county can’t have it patrolled all week.
Meanwhile, floaters have begun parking near the bridge down the road on South Ferndale Drive, which has simply shifted many of the issues to a new site.
“I do understand why the residents were angry because people were com- pletely ignoring the signs that said ‘no parking’ and just blocking people’s driveways,” said Rich Bassett, who lives between Kalispell and Columbia Falls and frequently travels to Fern- dale to float the Swan. “But I feel that not all of us should’ve been punished for that.”
The Swan River Fishing Access Site is a day-use only public area for hand- launch boats only. It allows access of trailers with a maximum length of 25 feet. It sits off the narrow Rainbow Drive and is the only formal public access site along this stretch of Swan River besides a Montana Fish, Wild- life and Parks access area downstream, where most floaters take out. The ma- jority of the river’s shoreline is private property and dotted with homes.
“It’s a great piece of water, and pub- lic access is a big part of the recreation business in Montana,” said Jason Lani- er, who owns Bigfork Anglers, an out- fitting business that leads guided an- gling trips throughout the valley.
“Any loss of public access is a bum- mer, for locals and businesses. That’s why people come to Montana, because we have access.”
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