A proposal to make a six-mile stretch of the Whitefish River the state’s first urban nonmotorized waterway is underway, with a work session and public hearing planned at tonight’s Whitefish City Council meeting.

The council will spend from 5:50 to 6:50 p.m. discussing a proposed petition that would ask the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to designate a nonmotorized waterway from the railroad trestle over the river to the Montana 40 bridge.

A public hearing will be held when the council convenes in formal session at 7:10 p.m.

If the council approves a resolution asking the state to restrict motorized watercraft on the stretch of river that winds through the city and outlying neighborhoods, the request goes to the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission for a final decision, possibly at the commission’s November meeting.

Whitefish City Council member Richard Hildner has been advocating for a nonmotorized river corridor for years and is spearheading the latest effort. A year ago the council agreed to pursue it during its annual goal-setting session.

Whitefish established a no-wake zone within city limits in 1989.

An effort in 2007 to prohibit internal combustion motors on the river within city limits passed the council on a unanimous vote, but a month later the action was rescinded when property owners between the river outlet to Whitefish Lake and the railroad trestle objected.

It’s an opportune time for the city to address the issue again, Hildner said, because the upper reach of the river has been reopened to the public after several years of federally mandated cleanup. BNSF Railway Co. was required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove petroleum pollution left by the railroad in bygone days.

Non-motorized use of the river appears to be increasing, particularly the use of stand-up paddleboards, now that the river is once again open to the public, said Hildner, who lives near the river as it winds through Riverside Park.

Motorized watercraft also use the river heavily at times and pose a safety hazard, he said.

The river presents several challenges to motorized users, including limited sight distances and a narrow waterway, he added.

A secondary concern is resource protection. River bank erosion is worsened by wave action from motorized watercraft.

Even though a no-wake zone is imposed within city limits, it’s difficult to enforce. A personal watercraft, for example, usually moves too fast for onlookers to get a number off the craft to report to law enforcement. 

Hildner said his research showed that since Riverside Park was established in 1986, the river bank has eroded 15 feet into the park. Original topographic maps were overlaid with maps done recently for the BNSF cleanup.

BNSF’s recent dedication of the Whitefish Landing, a new public river access and canoe/kayak landing, will further promote nonmotorized use, Hildner pointed out. 

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.