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Bluebird Lakes
The Ten Lakes area is only part of Galton.
This project takes in all the Kootenai NF east of HWY
93 plus some lands around Dickey Lake and Ant Flat
The Galton Project will focus on site
specific planning in the project area with an emphasis on travel planning.
This project was triggered by a
settlement from a lawsuit that requires Kootenai NF to do a travel plan
for the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area.
Ranger Betty Holder decided to expand the
planning to include a larger area and the full range of management
issues.
Although Holder has said that wilderness
recommendation will not be included in this plan, it is hard to believe
that wilderness will not be a primary focus because:
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Recent planning in this area focused
primarily on wilderness |
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Adjacent lands on the Flathead are
recommended for wilderness |
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Several well funded environmental
groups are lobbying hard for wilderness here. |
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A large part of the area is designated
as a Wilderness Study Area |
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The lawsuit requires that wilderness
values are protected in the WSA |
The settlement requires USFS to;
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Complete a Travel Management Plan for
Ten Lakes WSA by 12/31/2009. |
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Meet with the other parties to consider
issues during the planning process |
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Jointly ask for a dismissal of the suit
after Travel Plan is completed |
| The settlement also gave $35,000 to MWA for their
trouble. |
Multiple Use Objectives
Valid management objectives must not only protect the environment but also
provide for a balance among competing forest uses as provided in the
Multiple Use Act of 1960
Accordingly, Montanans For Multiple Use asserts that good forest
management in the Galton area includes the following:
Vegetation Management
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Timber harvest for fuel reduction,
jobs, and forest health |
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Expedited salvage of ALL
merchantable timber after fires |
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Average yearly harvest equals net
forest growth |
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Habitat and stand diversity are
secondary goals of harvest |
Travel Management
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No reduction in snowmobile access
to WSA |
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No reduction in snowmobile access
outside WSA |
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No reduction in snowmobile grooming |
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No reduction in snowmobile season |
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No reduction in summer motorized
use for sightseeing, berry picking and other recreational uses |
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No road obliteration (rip) or new
road closures |
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Top priority for access for fire
fighting |
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At least one long (20 miles) or two
short ATV loop trails |
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Open old roads in roadless areas to
ATVs and Trail Bikes |
Recreation Management
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Move toward a balance in recreation
uses (top priority) |
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Restore and increase motorized
access (see Travel Mgmt) |
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Build warming hut/pavillion at
Theirrault Lakes. |
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Locate and designate a motorized
play area |
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Retain and create new motorized
dispersed camping sites |
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Work with user groups to ID and
maintain desired trails |
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Make travel maps available at many
locations |
Fire Management
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Reduce fire fuels in the WUI (top
priority) |
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Reduce fire fuels beyond the WUI as
well |
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Create strategic fire breaks |
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Use gates instead of earth berms to
close roads |
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Give initial attack teams tools to
open gates |
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Never rip a road that provides
primary access into watershed. |
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Adopt aggressive policy of putting
fires out early |
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Fight ALL wildfires in Galton area |
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Use prescribed fire only after
treatment |
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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Send your initial comments to Ranger
Betty Holder before March 31, 2008 or shortly thereafter. Send
to POB
116, Fortine, MT 59918 or email comments to comments-northern-kootenai-fortine@fs.fed.us |
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Let Ranger Holder know what you think
about the Draft EIS after it comes out this summer |
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Urge your family, friends and neighbors
to do the same |
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Write to Senators Baucus and Tester and
to Representative Rehberg |
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In the long run, voting for the right
candidates is the best thing you can do. |
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Write Letters to the Editor |
| Join MFMU/NLCC in their efforts to keep these lands
open for YOU |
Go to the Galton
Maps page to see maps of the area
You can see our comments on Galton <HERE>
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