The Ravalli County Commissioners put one of the final pieces of the puzzle in place last week when they approved the use of Ravalli County Open Lands Bond Program funding for the acquisition of approximately 97 acres of private land along the West Fork of the Bitterroot River for creation of the C. Ben White Memorial Fishing Access Site (FAS).
The property, originally owned by the White, Dickman and Stomberg families, was eventually consolidated into one holding by the Stomberg family as they slowly moved towards potential public ownership of the property, a long standing dream of young C. Ben White, grandson of W.W. White for whom the smaller, leased 1.5 acre FAS was dedicated. Ben White died at the age of 24 in a motorcycle accident before his dream could be realized, but his mother, Marty Stomberg, persevered and has finally brought the dream to realization.
The Stomberg family received multiple offers from private buyers but opted to give FWP the opportunity to acquire the land instead, because they wanted to see the land protected and open to the public. It will expand the smaller, existing 1.5-acre FAS currently leased by FWP as the W.W. White Memorial FAS and permanently protect public access, recreation and wildlife values at the gateway of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River canyon. The C. Ben White Memorial FAS will be the only FWP-owned or operated FAS on the West Fork of the Bitterroot River and would complement an array of other boating and access sites owned and operated by the USFS on the upstream portions of the West Fork.
It would share approximately a half mile boundary with adjacent National Forest land, and would permanently protect access, recreation, and wildlife values at the gateway of the West Fork canyon. Proposed developments include expanded day-use improvements, a small campground with one to three sites, river-bottom and upland parking areas, two vault latrines, and walking trails. The existing boat-launch area would mostly remain the same with possible minor improvements. Fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching opportunities would increase as a result of the additional acreage.
The FAS will also protect important floodplain habitat to benefit game and nongame species in perpetuity, including Montana Species of Concern. The property encompasses a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats that provide resources for a wide range of fish and wildlife species.
Approximately half a mile of the main stem of the West Fork flows through the property, with an additional half mile of side channels and 68 acres of associated riparian habitat. The riparian habitat includes 56 acres of mixed cottonwood and ponderosa pine riparian forest and 12 acres of willow thickets, gravel bars, and river channel.
The property is located on the east side of West Fork Road. The upland portion of the property is located on the west side of West Fork Road and consists of approximately 19 acres of open, large-diameter ponderosa pine forest connected to BNF lands. Fishing, hunting, and wildlife-viewing opportunities would increase as a result of the additional acreage provided by the proposed FAS.
The property will be managed under existing FWP public-use regulations. Management of the FAS will include routine maintenance, control of motorized use and firearms, forestry management to reduce wildfire threat and remove hazard trees, weed control, and other accepted FWP recreation-area management policies. Protection of natural resources, the health and safety of visitors, and consideration of neighboring properties will all be incorporated into development plans for the site. Anticipated improvements to the FAS in the near-term would be installation of a latrine near the boat launch area, development of an upland access parking lot and trailhead, and installation of signage on-site and along West Fork Road. Future developments are likely to include a small campground (1-3 sites, including a latrine), a stock bridge and trails development on the upland portion of the property, a picnic area near the boat launch, and a small additional parking area north of the boat ramp and campground to accommodate hikers and walk-in anglers.
FWP believes the proposed FAS will provide hunting opportunities for black bear, deer, elk, grouse, turkey, and waterfowl. The river-bottom portion of the property east of West Fork Road (approximately 78 acres) will be regulated as an archery-only hunting zone (for all legally huntable game species during all Fish and Wildlife Commission-approved hunting seasons. Archery-only hunting would be confined to those portions of the FAS property north of the campground area and west of the main river channel, and to the entire portion of the property on the east side of the main river channel. Shotguns may still be in use in the vicinity of the property because, under Montana’s Stream Access law,users are permitted to hunt waterfowl and upland game birds using shotguns when the hunter is below the high-water mark of the river and its flowing side channels. However, wit is expected that waterfowl hunting will be uncommon at this site, and upland game birds are generally not readily available for harvest below the high-water mark. Users will not be allowed to hunt waterfowl or upland game birds using shotguns from the FAS property (i.e., on FAS property above the normal high-water mark).
No weapons restrictions will be placed on the upland portion of the FAS west of West Fork Road (approximately 19 acres), but signs would be posted regarding locations of roads, trails, and structures in the area to promote safe hunting practices. Signs would be installed at the trailhead/parking area that explain hunting access rules and regulations as well as provide a map of the property, adjacent public and private lands, and safety zones. FWP will install property-boundary signs along all boundaries that border private lands to minimize potential trespass issues and conflicts between hunters and neighbors.
All trail use in the FAS, both upland and river-bottom units, will be non-motorized.
The $1.1 million project took over a decade to ring to fruition with Gavin Ricklefs of the Bitterroot Land Trust spearheading the coordinated effort. The plan to pay for the acquisition involves several funding entities whose contributions were committed in advance. It includes $70,000 from FWP’s Fishing Access Site Program, $50,000 from the FWP Access Public Lands Program, a $420,000 contribution from the White, Dickman and Stomberg families, another, $100,000 from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, a committed $100,000 from other private donors. Now we can add another $250,000 to come from the Ravalli County Open Lands Bond. This leaves a final $800,000 which is expected to be acquired through additional private funding sources. The total acquisition costs are estimated at $1,070,000 dollars with an additional $100,000 for development of the site the total project cost comes to $1,170,000.