Montana State Parks, a division of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), is seeking public review of its proposal to acquire fee-title acquisition to an approximately 0.9-acre parcel of property immediately south of its Fort Owen State Park located northwest of Stevensville. The parcel would be added to the existing state park and developed as a parking area.
From the time Fort Owen was added to state ownership in the 1950s, the managing agencies, including the State Parks Department, have struggled to provide appropriate public access and parking, while also protecting property rights and privacy for the neighboring private landowner. According to information contained in the Environmental Assessment of the proposal, the existing one-acre State Park is surrounded by a private ranch, with ranch traffic and public access along a shared road. This shared access road leading north from Highway 269 is a private road, but the Department holds a road easement along the road portion from the highway to the north end of the State Park, to allow the public and Department personnel to access the state park.
“Given the current configuration, it is nearly impossible for a member of the public or Department staff to park at the site without trespassing on ranch property. In addition, the proximity of ranch buildings, including residences, to the park creates almost a daily privacy and security concern for the ranch residents and visitors,” it states in the EA. Conversations with owners of the ranch beginning in the 1980s (perhaps earlier) were never able to gain enough traction to lead to a long-term solution.
In late 2017, MGY Ranch, LLC purchased the private ranch, and discussions were initiated toward finding a solution that would provide consistent legal access for all members of the public, as well as create appropriate separation of public and private lands. The parties have reached agreement where the Department proposes to acquire approximately 0.9 acre of property in fee simple purchase. With this purchase, the Department would then work toward developing a parking area–once a cultural resources survey has been completed and any appropriate protections and mitigation measures have been developed and approved if needed to protect any identified historic resources on this new addition. Development of a parking lot would involve a later, separate project proposal, including a Draft EA and opportunity for public involvement and comment.
As part of the acquisition, the Department would also abandon the portion of the roadway easement located east of and adjacent to the existing park boundary, to ensure the public parks in the new parking area and not on private ranch property. The Department would retain administrative and emergency access to this portion of the easement to allow for site maintenance and management.
If the project is approved and the acquisition is completed (and no sooner than the end of the current “peak” visitor season on September 8, 2020), Fort Owen State Park would be closed to the public until a cultural resource survey is complete. Following a later, separate project proposal for development of a parking area and if the new parking area project were to be approved and built—then construction could be completed in time for a tentative re-opening date of May 1, 2021.
A draft environmental assessment (EA) for this proposal is available for public review and comment. The EA may be obtained by mail from Region 2 FWP, 3201 Spurgin Rd., Missoula 59804; phoning 406-542-5540; or emailing shrose@mt.gov. The EA may also be viewed on FWP’s Internet website http://fwp.mt.gov (“News,” then “Recent Public Notices”) or on Montana State Parks’ Internet website http://stateparks.mt.gov/ (“Public Comment & Notices”).
Comments may be made online on either of the EA’s webpages or submitted by mail or email to the addresses above. Comments must be received by FWP no later than September 4, 2020.