The Bitterroot National Forest (BNF) will host a public meeting this Wednesday, March 30th from 6 to 8 p.m. to share information regarding the development of a draft forest Climbing Management Plan (CMP). The virtual meeting will be held on Zoom. See below for instructions and a link to join the meeting. Five similar public meetings (virtual) were held in 2021.
In addition to the opportunity to learn about and participate in the process of developing a climbing plan, this week’s meeting will cover the following agenda topics:
• Review overall objectives and desired outcomes of the public conversations
• Provide an update on conversations to date, including how to find information on Story Map
• Review draft Climbing Management Plans and moving forward to a formalized process
Invite community voices to offer thoughts and guidance as we continue to develop a shared strategy
The BNF would like to remind the public that this is not the final CMP decision document. The final decision on a plan will come at the end of the formal NEPA process. Once completed, the plan will describe the desired condition for responsible climbing activities across the forest, considering the need for maintaining recreation access while also providing for appropriate cultural and natural resource protections.
Last year, the forest published an interactive Story Map to provide an information hub for those interested in climbing management. The project included input from community members and represented the beginning of the process for a CMP.
To join this week’s Zoom meeting go to https://umontana.zoom.us/j/91765743433?pwd=Q3N3RFprTEY0S20rMEkvZzBZeHVFQT09
To view the Climbing Story Map, visit https://arcg.is/riqW5. For more information, contact the Stevensville Ranger District at (406) 777-5461.