Outfitting landowner cut off Bridger Access

[1_pointer]

the forest service should not have to allow any access off of the new forest service rd, at any cost, the guy can own one on them "landlocked parcels"

While I get your intention, having USFS or any federal agency block access to deeded land is not really a good move. That'd be rocket fuel for a pr campaign for the transfer folks...

 

[Straight Arrow]

Thank-you, Kat, your work is invaluable ... and you also, Rob.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Thank-you, Kat, your work is invaluable ... and you also, Rob.

Ditto that comment!

 

[hank4elk]

Ditto that comment!

Ditto the ditto folks!

As to which side of the sword the landowner falls on with regards to his access/easement depends on who is running the local office of FS,IMHO.
As one who has been on many peer review boards, FS lease/access review boards he could have stepped on it. They could cut his access to one point and charge a access/use fee for the new road if he does not show historical ownership with documentation.

They can push way back if they want to.

Been their done that on the 1st NF/Reserve in US.
The town where my cabin was had been their before the NF was in existance, and had been the site of the 1st Ranger station ,built by the town for the FS. Did a land swap to preserve the station and turn it into a museum,on our dime.Still had to pay a lease use fee on land we owned.LOL
We worked with them to close some access easement roads ,move some, install new ones & FS access sites TH's, water rights/use....
They landlocked some who did not play nice. Increased fees to break some. Voided some......literally.
This was 30-20yrs ago so times have changed.
I personally can only relate to a few of the local FS employees here in the Gila. The rest resemble the folks most people think of when they think , a know it all Gubberment employee who is in power and knows not much, really.....besides what some degree says.

 

[2ski]

Where exactly is this at? On Sixteenmile creek Rd? How far past Maudlow? I drove that road one time thinking I might hunt and from what I remember, it was very little access except for a small parking lot where the Bridgers cross the road. But the picture has this as Middle Fork of Sixteen mile creek. I've seen a lot of roads on google map of the area and would like to explore a little, but I'm assuming a lot of these roads are private. Like the old RR grade. From google maps that looks like a really sweet road with the bridges and tunnels.

 

[RobG]

Thank-you, Kat, your work is invaluable ... and you also, Rob.

Thanks - but I had nothing to do with this one. Kat and I am involved with another one which I'll talk about soon.

 

[RobG]

Where exactly is this at? On Sixteenmile creek Rd? How far past Maudlow? I drove that road one time thinking I might hunt and from what I remember, it was very little access except for a small parking lot where the Bridgers cross the road. But the picture has this as Middle Fork of Sixteen mile creek. I've seen a lot of roads on google map of the area and would like to explore a little, but I'm assuming a lot of these roads are private. Like the old RR grade. From google maps that looks like a really sweet road with the bridges and tunnels.

Directly west of Wilsall, just north of Flathead Pass. One of the documents on the FS webpage Kat linked to has a map.

 

[katqanna]

2ski, take HWY 86 north from Bozeman, just before 86 turns to the east to Wilsall, turn west on Flathead Creek Road West. Flathead Creek Road West splits off to Pettersen to the NW and Flathead Pass Road to the SW, take Pettersen to the northwest, then north. Pettersen, runs north of the Middle Fork of the Flathead Creek, then runs east of the Southfork of Sixteen Mile Creek, the road is also called Middle Fork Sixteen Mile Road (#642) on the Forest Service map.

 

[2ski]

Ok. I was looking on Google earth and this road wasn't named on it. That was were my confussion was from.

 

[MT_elk]

Thanks Kat for all of your hard work. As we all know, we have to stick together on the access issue.

 

[Trigger50]

Thanks Kat !

 

[RobG]

Comments are due tomorrow. Here is what Headwater's Sportsmen submitted.

December 15, 2016

Dear Steve Christiansen,

I am the secretary of the Headwaters Sportsman Association (HSA) which is a grassroots organization started in 1996 dedicated to promoting increased opportunities for Montana resident hunters and anglers. We have over 150 members who are Montana residents.

We are very supportive of the Sixteen Mile Road Relocation. It is very unfortunate that a nonresident outfitter chose to illegally block a Forest Service road. Building a new road around his property is probably the least painful solution and will result in better access for the public. We are however very willing to support legal actions by the Forest Service to defend easements in the future.

Thank you for protecting public access to public land. We appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Shannon Taylor, PhD
Secretary
Headwaters Sportsman Association
PO Box 1941
Bozeman, MT 59718

 

[katqanna]

Good news for public lands access. I just received notice as an interested person (submitted a public comment), that the Acting District Ranger, Bozeman Ranger District Corey Lewellen's draft Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Middle Fork of Sixteen Mile Road Relocation Project in the Bridger Mountain Range just came out.

There were 22 people that submitted comments - they were all in support. There is now a 45 day time period to object, but only for people that participated in the public comment process. Seeing that all 22 supported it, that is not likely to happen. The FS would then begin to create the new road this summer and it would be completed before hunting season this year. That would be a huge woohoo to have that access opened up back up to the public.

Thank you to those that submitted comments.

 

[teamhoyt]

Great news

 

[MT_elk]

Awesome!

 

[el unit]

Thanks for all you do Kat, that is great news!

 

[6mm Remington]

Thanks for keeping us posted on stuff like this so we all can get involved and reach out to the necessary folks to let our voices be heard. This kind of stuff happens more than you can imagine. Over north of Roy Montana there is an old easement that has been there forever which goes clear down to the Missouri river and joins Knox Ridge Road. A few years ago an outfitter closed the short 200 or so yard section that went across a corner of his property and locked the gate. It's still not open and he essentially made it his place to include all of the public stuff between his place and the breaks. You can come in from the Knox Ridge road, but that's along ways to come in from that way.

 

[katqanna]

Woohoo

The FS Decision just got posted, it's a GO!

•Relocate (new construction) approximately 1500 feet of road in T3N, R6E, Section 16, NE 1/4, from Milepost 5.474 to Milepost 5.748. The new road will be entirely on National Forest System
(NFS) land and rejoin the original road location before continuing on to the Troy Creek Trailhead in Section 10. Currently this segment is partially located on private land in the NE ¼ of Section 16.
•Maintain and improve the road between the end of the county road at MP 2.9 and the Troy Creek TH at milepost 6.1 to provide a 3 season maintenance level 3 (passenger car) road. The road will continue to be single lane with turnouts and a 12 foot driving surface width. Road work could include additional drainage such as culverts and drainage dips, added signing, spot surfacing, and addition of turnouts.
•Employ Watershed Best Management Practices in the construction of the new segment of road, including revegetation of the cut and fill slopes and using available woody debris to reduce sedimentation and prevent cattle trailing across new vegetation.
•Close the current segment of road located on private land from (MP 5.47 to MP 5.75) to public use. The approach at milepost 5.748 will be eliminated and the old road on National Forest Lands will be decommissioned and restored.
•A short access from FR 642 at milepost 5.47 to the private land in Section 16 would be allowed to continue under a special use permit, if requested by the land owner, as the road relocation would be entirely on NFS land and would no longer intersect the private parcel to provide access.
•Posting additional signing identifying National Forest System lands.
•Restore and revegetate the old road segment on private land if the landowner no longer wants it.

This decision will likely be implemented during the summer of 2017.

 

[Lonesome_God_outdoors]

Great news! Keep up the good work. Even though I will probably never see the public land that has restored access, as a public land owner I hope others can enjoy it for me. Just remember to clean up your trash on the way out!

 

[yacantski]

My question is did the landowner build that section of road that's on his property or did the forest service build it? If the F.S. built it wouldn't the material (roadbase) technically be owned by the forest service and if so they should take the material from the old road to build the new one. Seems that would save a lot of money