So, you are living next to one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower forty-eight and are itching to get out in the wild, but don’t have the time or the gas to get out of town? If you live in Hamilton, you just have to walk down to one of the city’s parks along the river and you can find a little bit of the wild in one of several parks being maintained in a natural state. They stretch along the river corridor like gems on a necklace and a new gem has just been added. Skalkaho Bend Park.
The new seventy-acre park is located just upriver, south of River Park and stretches along the banks of the Bitterroot River for about a mile and half. Like the river, the story of the park’s origin is long and winding. It is tied up in a family history, in the public’s will to save open space, and the Bitterroot Land Trust’s longstanding and tireless efforts at preservation of open spaces in the valley by placing conservation easements on the land. But the list of contributors is a long one, once again like the river. Besides the Land Trust and the Christmann family and the Open Lands Bond Program, you could add the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, Bitterroot Trout Unlimited, Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Bitterroot Audubon, Rapp Family Foundation, Bitter Root Water Forum, Recreational Trails Program, Steele-Reese Foundation, and Family Foundations.
Taking action to place a conservation easement on a piece of land is an inherently long process. A seed is sown. A notion finally sprouts. Work gets under way. But it takes a while for the thing to finally bloom. Pulling together all the avenues for funding is a time consuming, Herculean task. Add to this the idea of giving it all away to the City for use by the public in the end and you have a job of mythic proportions.
Bitterroot Land Trust Executive Director Gavin Ricklefs said it was very exciting and rewarding to participate in the creation of such a valuable community asset that is now open to free use by the public. He said the community support was tremendous as they received over 200 donations to fund the purchase and make some needed improvements.
“So many people gave time and talents to make this possible because that’s what it takes,” said Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf. “It takes the entire community to come together for something like this to happen.”
Farrenkopf said that the County Commissioners did express some concerns at the Open Lands Bond meeting, especially about trespassing onto neighboring private property and dogs running around off leash.
“So the city park personnel can pass out literature and educate users saying ‘please don’t let your dog off the leash’ or ‘please don’t climb the fence’,” said Farrenkopf. “They could do a little bit of that and, if it comes down to it, the police could be called and do the same thing, tell them please don’t trespass and please keep your dog on a leash.”
“I think the most effective thing is going to be other park users reminding people to be responsible,” he said.
“Projects like this don’t come along every day,” said Farrenkopf. He said it was really important to show that the City can take care of this park, especially if they want to see more like it added in the future.
“I’m really looking forward to people using the park and using it in a way that it was meant to be used,” said Farrenkopf. “It is a natural park. There are trails down there, but we need to be able to cohabitate with the wildlife that move through there and just really enjoy the river and having access to the river and just enjoy the natural beauty of that park. You can see the mountains. There is a picnic table and a toilet. It’s a nice place to go enjoy the afternoon. I thinks it’s going to be like a new gem for Hamilton and Ravalli County.”