In recent years, says Lee Bastian, FWP's regional parks manager in Missoula, there has been increasing demand for access to rivers and lakes by folks who don't plan to go fishing.
About 20 years ago, when the agency was beginning a program to actively acquire new fishing access sites, the focus was entirely on providing angling opportunities.
"Stop at any one of these accesses in July and August, and you see a lot more of that kind of use, more so than angling. So they're starting to serve a real dual function. You see a lot more people who are into canoeing, kayaking, inner-tubing, just wanting to be on the water to enjoy it."
In western Montana's FWP Region 2, there are more than 70 fishing access sites on bodies of water in Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral, Granite, Deer Lodge and Powell counties. Statewide, FWP manages 320 fishing access sites.
Through the agency's land acquisition program, Bastian says, FWP keeps adding to the list of access sites to meet the increasing demand for water-based recreation, although not at the rate it did when the program started.
"A lot of it depends on available funding and ability to do maintenance of the sites," he says. "Around six years ago, I was saying we were kind of maxed out on the number of fishing access sites that we could manage well with the amount of funding coming into the agency. So to try to take new sites on, we tried to think outside the box and bring new partners in to acquire, to develop and to maintain fishing access sites."
In considering whether to add a new access site, Bastian says, the department must decide if the site is really needed.
He says FWP looks for river accesses, for example, which provide opportunities for floaters to put in at one spot and expect to be able to take out at another, four to five hours later, a nice half-day float.
On the Bitterroot, Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers, Bastian says, some fishing access sites are only an hour or two apart for floating.
"But that's OK," he says. "So people can go out after work, and float when they have a limited amount of time."
FWP is concentrating its efforts to acquire new river accesses on areas where floaters don't have an opportunity for that ideal half-day float, Bastian says. A prime example of the need for that kind of access exists on the Clark Fork River downstream from Missoula.
"There are some long gaps where we don't have good access," he says.
Huson is a major access gap. It was a site that was traditionally used by floaters for many years, as a put-in for a float to the next access at Petty Creek, or a take-out for a float from Harper's Bridge. The informal access was granted by a generous private landowner. But a couple of years ago, the site was sold as a home lot, and the public access was lost.
"Because of that," Bastian says, "we've had a lot of anglers and fishing outfitters contacting our office encouraging us to replace that piece. We've tried to acquire some land there, but we haven't been able to put a deal together yet. FWP only acquires land based on appraised value. We are still very much interested in acquiring some access within a couple miles of that old Huson access."
This spring, through a cooperative effort with private landowners and Missoula County, FWP filled an access void on the Clark Fork at the Kona Ranch Bridge.
The site has been used as an unofficial public access for several years, as a put-in for a float to the Harper's Bridge access, and a take-out for a float from the Kelly Island access.
But access at Kona Ranch was difficult, according to Bastian.
"It was really unsafe," he says. "Everybody was parking on the highway, or going over a steep embankment."
Several years ago, the land was sold for a subdivision. The developers approached FWP about providing a fishing access.
"They knocked on the door," Bastian says, "and said they needed to dedicate a certain amount of land as parkland under the subdivision laws of Montana. The developers are sportsmen themselves and were interested in developing an access site. We saw that as a great opportunity, and said yes, we were interested."
Because Missoula County owned some land at the site, he says, FWP was able to develop about three acres for an access as a cooperative project with the developers and the county. The site eventually will have a developed boat ramp, parking area, and latrine.
"FWP and the county are both going through efforts to secure funds to complete the project," Bastian says.
While a boat ramp won't be completed for this summer's use, he says, Missoula County recently improved the approach road to the site and put in barrier rocks to help control traffic, and keep people from driving off the road. Later this year, fencing will be installed for the parking area. The earliest a boat ramp can be constructed would be this fall.
Although FWP has an access at Harper's Bridge, Bastian says, it is on the south side of the Clark Fork River, which necessitates a long shuttle drive on a rough gravel road. The department is interested in working with a landowner to provide an access on the north side of the river there, and also at Huson, providing faster and easier shuttles between the sites on Mullan Road.
"For the lower Clark Fork, that would fill in gaps all the way to the Flathead River for that ideal half-day float interval," Bastian says. "So those three sites - Kona, Harper's and Huson - are key to each other."
Some anglers and outfitters are using the road on the south side of the river to shuttle floats now. But the rough road and long shuttle discourages heavy use, Bastian says.
"If a site is hard to get to, is that bad?" he asks. "Not necessarily, because it serves a portion of the angling population that's looking for that type of experience, which is getting harder to find. So, it's something we wrestle with. But so many people are using that area of the river at access sites that are not public, we've felt we have some responsibility to go to those places, and see if we can get public access. I don't think you should always have public access, but I think it's worthwhile where we already have good, key sites, and need to fill in a couple of gaps."
In 2003, Bastian says, the Montana Legislature authorized a portion of funds from the vehicle registration program to be used for FWP's fishing access purchase program. That provides some relief for resident and nonresident anglers, who have supported the access program with a portion of their fishing license fees, he says.
In the past couple of years, FWP has added several new fishing access sites in western Montana - at Darby Bridge on the Bitterroot River, Stuart-Mill Bay on Georgetown Lake, Alberton Gorge, Gillies Bridge on Rock Creek, and two sites on the Blackfoot River, the old Weigh Station at Bonner and Evangeline, between Weigh Station and Johnsrud Park.
Acquisition and development of each of those sites was the result of partnerships between FWP, private landowners, other agencies and organizations, Bastian says.
"And that's what makes it fun from my part," he says, "working with so many different groups helping with the project."
"Seeing how land prices have gone, and land getting bought up," says Bastian, "we as an agency have a responsibility of being as active as we can now, looking for opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities when we can to make acquisitions, because I think in 10 years those opportunities will be gone.
"One message I'd really like to send out," he adds, "is that we really need to be responsible about how we use these sites. We need to take care of them, because western Montana is getting so crowded. It'd be nice to see some real neighborly respect for each other and the resource."
Guide to access sites
"Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fishing Access Sites," a brochure detailing all of FWP's sites in each of its seven regions statewide, including maps and information about available facilities at each site, is available for free at all FWP regional offices. You can request a brochure through the mail by calling the FWP Region 2 office in Missoula at 542-5500. Maps and information about all FWP fishing access sites are also available on FWP's Web site at www.fwp.state.us. Click on "Fishing Guide" under "Fishing" at the top of the site. Then click on any FWP region to find detailed information about fishing access sites on every body of water in the region.
Reporter Daryl Gadbow can be reached at 523-5264 or at dgadbow@missoulian.com
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