Protect wildlife and the wild Swan Range
Ask the Forest Service to “Can the Tram” proposed up Columbia Mountain
Comments accepted anytime until a decision is made. The sooner the better!
Suggested Talking Points
- Thank the Forest Service for listening to the public’s concerns.
- Tell the Forest Service you oppose the tram and that it is neither in the public interest nor needed. A similar opportunity for public sightseeing already exists at Big Mountain (Whitefish Mountain Resort) or Blacktail Mountain. This is a blatant attempt by Pursuit to increase its corporate profit at public expense.
- Share why you value the wild Swans (i.e. wildlife habitat, wilderness quality backcountry recreation, scenic backdrop to the Flathead Valley / Hungry Horse, etc.); pumping hundreds of people a day to the top of the mountain will displace wildlife and create conflicts with existing recreational uses.
- The Tram would likely create a public safety problem, as people, many of whom may not be familiar with backcountry travel, attempt to use the tram to make one way hikes off the mountain, causing the Forest Service or local search and rescue to respond to lost or injured travellers. At a minimum, the tram will certainly lead to greater traffic in and out of Berne Rd., an exceptionally dangerous access road, from people making one way trips.
- Remind the Forest Service that the public's vision for Columbia Mountain and the Swan Crest is for it to remain a wild, undeveloped landscape, a vision the Forest Plan’s backcountry designations reflect, and the Forest should not unilaterally change this vision to benefit an out-of-state corporation.
How to Submit to Comment
Email (preferred):
Send your comments directly to Anthony Botello, Forest Supervisor: anthony.botello@usda.gov
Mail
Anthony Botello, Forest Supervisor
Flathead National Forest
650 Wolfpack Way
Kalispell, MT 59901
Refusing to take no for an answer, Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality has once again proposed to build a 100-person sightseeing tram from the town of Hungry Horse to near the summit of Columbia Mountain, the northern terminus of the wild Swan Range, on the Flathead National Forest.
The Forest Service denied an almost identical proposal from Pursuit four years ago, because it was not compatible with the Forest Plan and did not serve the public interest. The new proposal is nearly identical to the one the Forest Service rejected except that now the tram would operate year round. The Forest Service is currently screening the proposal and needs to hear from you why this is a bad idea. Please tell the Forest Service to again deny the proposed special use permit for the Glacier View Tram.
What’s At Stake
A sightseeing tram up Columbia Mountain would irrevocably change the wild Swan Range. The top of the tram, along with the proposed cafe and accessible walking paths the company wants to build, would be located within an Inventoried Roadless Area that the forest plan directs to be managed primarily for non-motorized backcountry recreation. Columbia Mountain provides vital habitat for threatened species like grizzly bears and Canada lynx, as well as both summer and winter range for elk, mule deer, whitetail deer and other iconic species. The area is part of a regionally important wildlife corridor. Building a tram and pumping people up this mountain will displace wildlife, and impact their ability to move across the landscape. It will also disrupt existing use, including hiking, horseback riding, hunting, or riding mountain bikes and dirt bikes (allowed on certain trails). And tram-riding sightseers are unlikely to stay confined to the top of the tram, but would almost certainly use it to facilitate longer, one-way travel, spreading the tram’s impact on these wild mountains miles beyond the summit.
The Forest Service was on solid ground when it denied the tram four years ago. The fact that Pursuit re-submitted this proposal virtually unchanged now reflects their desire to take advantage of the current Administration's eagerness to privatize our public lands and resources (in this case access) for private profit. Columbia Mountain and the wild Swans are just fine the way they are. Please join us in telling the Forest Service to keep it this way and can the tram, again.
Want to learn more?
Read our Op/Ed in the Daily InterLake
Read about the tram in the Hungry Horse News
Want to do more?
- Ask your friends, family and neighbors to comment opposing the tram.
- Call Rep. Zinke’s office and tell him you oppose the tram.
- Make a special donation to GTMA to support our efforts to can the tram
