SEELEY LAKE - Happy spring! The Seeley Lake Ranger District is in full swing getting ready for a LOT of good work happening this upcoming field season on your National Forest. Sharing this information is important as it may impact you as you plan your summer activities. The majority of the work that we are proceeding with for the upcoming field season is directly related to the fire season of 2017 and the winter snow accumulation.
Spring was slow in coming to the Clearwater and Blackfoot watersheds this year and in combination with the above-average snow load, we have been seeing more flooding than usual. We have developed a flood response plan that focuses on patrolling in potential flood areas, initiating action to reduce damage to infrastructure and providing for public safety. We already have had to close roads or delay the opening of roads and are seeing failure of culverts and road prisms in some areas. Please be patient as we identify these problem areas and respond appropriately.
In the next month or two, we will be completing the haul of timber decks – trees removed to create fuel breaks along Cottonwood Lakes road and other defense lines used in the indirect suppression efforts. We are also moving forward with fire salvage in both the Rice Ridge and Liberty fire areas.
Our interdisciplinary team has completed the analyses and decisions are scheduled for August and July respectively. Concurrently, we are submitting Biological Assessments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service per our consultation requirements for species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
We have drafted for submittal an Emergency Situation Determination which, if granted by the chief of the Forest Service, will enable us to streamline the National Environmental Policy Act process by eliminating the objection period after the decision documents are released.
Silviculture and timber specialists will be out on the ground throughout the summer finalizing any necessary data gathering and unit preparation in anticipation of immediate implementation after timber sale contract award. These salvage sales will reduce hazard trees along roads threatening safety, contribute to employment in our local communities and avoid loss of commodity value and re-establish forested conditions to meet management objectives outlined in the Forest Plan. Hauling would begin late summer/ fall and continue during the winter season (Rice Ridge only).
Approximately 75,000 ponderosa pine seedlings and 11,000 western larch will be planted in the Dunham Creek area this spring. Planting areas within both the fire perimeters will continue for up to five years.
In addition to salvage activity, the treatments recommended in the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessments continue to be implemented. These treatments included culvert upsizing, drainage reestablishment, weed treatment, hazard tree removal and warning signs. The BAER work also includes clearing trails, reestablishing tread on our trails that were burned at a level of severity that destabilized the trail structure, replacing trail crossings such as the Wedge Creek Bridge up Monture Creek and replacing signage.
The Lolo National Forest received funding through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act which provided funding for emergency disaster relief due to impacts from hurricanes and wildfire. This supplemental funding will enable us to move forward with road, trail and hazard tree work beyond that was funded through BAER. This will put us in a much better position to respond to unforeseen risks from post-fire effects within the burned areas.
Due to the various identified post-fire needs, preparing our road system for salvage timber hauling, the predicted impacts from the salvage efforts and ongoing aquatic restoration work, road contract packages were combined for efficiency and better leverage of funding sources. In total, the roadwork will serve to eliminate problem areas from flooding and increase watershed function, and will also enable fish passage. Some of the road projects include changes to the road system.
A portion of the Cottonwood Lakes road will be re-routed away from Cottonwood Creek. Some roads in Dunham and upper Cottonwood Creek will be decommissioned leaving a path for non-motorized access. The Morrell Bridge will be repaired and the old bridge finally removed. Generally, travel will be allowed while the work is commencing but intermittent delays can be expected. However, the culvert on Swamp Creek on the portion of Cottonwood Lakes road that passes through Section 31 will be replaced and require a temporary closure for up to two weeks.
Beginning May 7, both personal and commercial use permits for mushroom harvest will be offered. The designated commercial use area on the Seeley Lake Ranger District only applies to the Rice Ridge fire area and is located in the northwest corner of the Rice Ridge fire perimeter. Please see the Northern Region mushroom harvest permit page and associated maps for details (https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r1/landmanagement/?cid=fseprd573491&width=full).
In conjunction with the designated commercial harvest area, a designated commercial camping area will be offered at the Westside Snowmobile Trailhead. Any commercial harvesters with a commercial permit who wish to camp on National Forest lands will be required to camp at this location. The mushroom permit season will run through July 7. We believe offering a commercial opportunity on a portion of the Rice Ridge fire area will respond to the demand for this Forest product but not impact the recreational tourist economy upon which Seeley Lake depends.
In the developed recreation arena, our recreation staff is gearing up for our usual busy season. Due to tree damage caused by heavy snowfall in the Big Larch Campground and Day Use Area, we have temporarily closed access. We will strive to begin providing services in our campgrounds as usual on Memorial Day weekend. However, the Big Larch Boat Launch will remain accessible.
One very exciting accomplishment will be the replacement of the Big Larch boat launch this coming fall. The boat launch is becoming increasingly unsafe to use and one lane has needed to be closed during low water. We have an engineered final design that will provide a boat ‘prep’ lane, improve overall road geometry, and construct a functional boat dock.
As usual, we will be permitting summer recreation events such as the Bob Marshall Music Festival 50K foot race and the Youth for Christ Triathalon.
In preparation for the upcoming fire season, our local fire crew is conducting their annual training, physical fitness tests, safety preparedness reviews and coordination with our greater fire-fighting community including DNRC and the volunteer fire departments in Seeley Lake, Greenough/Potomac, Ovando and Helmville. We want to improve these relationships that are so critical to our ability to work together smoothly and respond to wildfires in a cooperative and safe manner with a successful outcome.
In addition to our fire operations preparation, our fuels reduction work is occurring. We are continuing fuel treatments in Lake Alva Campground to eliminate the subalpine fir diseased by spruce bud worm and reduce fuels around campsites within campground loops. We will also be continuing our prescribed burning this spring and fall in the Horseshoe West, Auggie, Colt Summit and Swan Divide project areas. We greatly appreciate your support as we implement prescribed fire projects to meet multiple objectives, most importantly of which is reducing fuel in our wildland urban interface (WUI).
We are so grateful for the support and commitment from our partners and volunteers that help us meet our mission to the American public which is “to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations” or as our motto states “Care for the Land, Serve the People”. These relationships help us extend our capacity and get more done on the ground through outfitter/ guiding services, trail project work, carnivore monitoring and more!
Our office will do our best to keep the public informed of any restrictions or delays due to flooding, roadwork, trail conditions or timber hauling. We will provide as much lead time as possible using the Pathfinder, the Seeley Lake Ranger District webpage, as well as Lolo National Forest Facebook posts. For more information, please call the Seeley Lake Ranger Station at 677-2233 or simply drop in at the Ranger Station! If you come after hours, there is a kiosk with handouts and a white board posted outside that has current information on trail conditions. We have a beautiful front office with a collection of gift items for purchase as well as maps and firewood permits for sale by friendly staff!
We all wish for a quiet fire season and safe summer as you enjoy your National Forest lands!
To our health,
Rachel Feigley
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