Work on installing the Stevensville Fishing Access Site began last week with the start of a revegetation project along the riverside access point. The planned development was made possible when the landowner, Myla Yahraus, agreed to donate 6.25 acres of land to the state to resolve decades of dispute between the Town, the State and the past owners of the property.
The first part of the road to the Town of Stevensville’s old dump site, now renewed and renamed River Park, was used for decades as a de facto fishing access site. The plan for the improvements was designed to address the various issues that had been generating social conflict and creating environmental degradation in the area. The plan involves creating more parking, and installing a loop road with camping spaces and a latrine/restroom. At Yahraus’ insistence, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has agreed to call it the John Owen Fishing Access Site (FAS), in honor of the founder of Fort Owen Ranch whom Yahraus much admires. When completed, the new fishing access site will fill the area between the Cut-off road and the Town of Stevensville’s River Park.
The initial work being done this fall is meant to restore and protect the waterfront vegetation in the area that was pretty much trampled and denuded by unregulated foot and vehicle traffic over the years. FWP Fishing Access Site Program Manager Rory Zarling gave the Bitterroot Star a tour of the worksite last week.
One of the most unique aspects of the planned development is the plan for the boat launch. The plan is to do nothing. According to Zarling, there is nothing else like it in the state. Out of the state’s 75 FAS’s, this was one of the best, he said. It is a steadily declining bed of cobble stretching from above high water down to the lowest water levels.
The revegetation project stretches between the river and the roadway from the boat launch area down to the Town’s park land. It is being divided into two separate areas above the highwater mark and below the road. Each plot will be surrounded by a post and rail fence in the next week or so. A large walkway is being left between the two areas for pedestrian access from the road and campground area to the river front. A large rock will be placed to prevent vehicle access down the corridor.
Zarling said that the extremely rocky and sandy soil in the area led them to bring in some machinery to help excavate some holes for planting new trees. A mixture of 80% topsoil and 20% compost was used to fill the excavated holes and several different sizes of trees from seedlings to those growing in 3-foot pots were planted.
“Each of these plants will get a pretty good head start,” said Zarling. “They’re getting a kind of micro-climate of good fertile soil and they will be getting some water.” He said two small tanks would be installed to provide drip irrigation to all the seedlings.
Besides getting the good fertile soil and the water, Zarling said, the planting will also benefit from some initial over-stocking of the area.
“We intentionally overstocked it,” said Zarling, “knowing that we are going to have some loss to deer, rabbits, squirrels, or whatever.”
The plan calls for a total of 246 plants to be placed along the bank including different sizes of Ponderosa pine, Black Cottonwood, Western Larch, Service Berry, Red Osier Dogwood, Quaking Aspen, Chokecherry, Golden Currant, and White Spirea. They are all native plants provided by two companies, Great Bear Native Plants in Hamilton and DNRC in Missoula.
Following preparation of the ground by a Montana FWP crew last week, a crew of volunteers organized by the Bitter Root Water Forum (BRWF) came in on Thursday and Friday with the trees and shrubs and completed most of the planting associated with the project.
BRWF Project Manager Andrea Price said there was a little snow on Thursday, but it didn’t scare off the volunteers.
“We added a lot of green to the area,” said Price. She said that they saved about 50 of the plants for planting after the post and rail fencing is installed this coming week. Price said that anyone wanting to get in on the last planting can call the BRWF at 375-2272.
“We can always use a few more volunteers,” said Price. She said this project was especially exciting because the place is so loved by the community. She said it was great to be working on a public fishing access site and BRWF is looking forward to working on more of them with FWP in the future.
“We were very excited to partner with the Bitter Root Water Forum in this project,” said Zarling. He said if snow or anything else delays any part of the project it will get done next spring.
“In the best case scenario,” he said, “the whole project [including parking, campsites and latrine] could done next spring. The worst-case scenario is that it will be done next fall, possibly in August, September and October.”
Jim Crews says
To go along with the Fishing Access Site, the Town of Stevensville via donation when I was mayor and with Council approval created a Temporary Fishing Access Site down stream of the current site and we used it to keep the river open to fishermen and kayakers during the 2017 fishing season.
I personally think it is a better option than the bridge access. The Town site is certainly more quaint, has good access, and is much more quiet that the bridge access site.
When as mayor, I received authorization to build the site from council, MT FWP did not really approve of the site because not matter what is really said, they wanted to build the current site. On numerous occasions it was said that the site the town constructed would not last. It would wash out, etc.
Well here we are almost 5 years later and that site still looks as good as it did when we finished it and Mr. Dale Burke acclaimed how great it was.
Now, the current mayor and council have been negligent in maintaining the site, they closed it and the access road we built has gone into disrepair. In addition, council had directed the pit toilet to be town down, and filled in. Which still has not happened.
Not only that, but during the FAS crisis, we inquired as to whether or not the county would donate the land on the west bank of the river across from the current FAS. They did with the stipulation that the town had to do something with the land within 5 years or it reverts back to the county.
The current administration has been negligent and has failed to created a resolution to incorporate the land into the Stevi River Park, which the mayor at that time invested significant time to probe it was indeed a park. So, if the current administration or the future administration does not act soon, the land will revert back to the county and we loose again.
In my opinion, there is no reason for the town’s FAS in the River Park to remain closed. It was a better solution, for families to have float boat access and kayakers so that they do not have to deal with the Commercial Fishing Industry that dominates usage of the river.
I think that each boat that hits that river for commercial use should fly a special flag showing it is commercial.