Some residents in the Blue Creek Bay area of Lake Coeur d'Alene are concerned a proposal to make recreation improvements on a 751-acre conservation area will ruin the rural character of the site.

"What we're most concerned about is taking pristine and virgin land and changing the scope," said Loretta Babka, who organized a community meeting last week on the proposal that drew nearly 100 people.

"These are rural roads out here that weren't meant for much traffic, and we believe the proposal will disrupt the ecosystem of Blue Creek Bay."

But staff at the Bureau of Land Management, which has managed the Wallace L. Forest Conservation Area since 2003, believes the plan will maintain the public land for conservation, recreation and historical values.

Kurt Pavlat, BLM's field manager, said there is a lot of misinformation floating about the proposal and that's why the agency will hold an informational meeting next Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the conservation area's trailhead on Yellowstone Trail Road. The trailhead is on the north side of Interstate 90 about 2 miles from the Wolf Lodge exit.

Attendees can ask BLM representatives questions about the proposal at the meeting. Pavlat said he wishes BLM would have been invited to last week's meeting at the Sunnyside Fire Station to present the project and answer questions.

Pavlat said a road will not be built under the freeway, a boat launch is not proposed, aerial herbicides will not be sprayed as part of the forest management plan, motorized dirt bikes will not be allowed and the 70-acre mountain biking area at the steep northwest corner of the area was based on local comment, not from an out-of-state organization.

"This proposal is the result of local scoping and a grassroots movement by the community," Pavlat said. "There was no outside lobbying by any organization or individual. This is purely a locally-conceived proposal."

Pavlat said there will be some trails designated for downhill mountain biking and some for hikers and equestrian folks within the area.

But Babka, who rides horses in the area and uses it to educate children, is skeptical whether there will be enough separation between the uses.

"Accidents are waiting to happen," she said. "This (mountain bike part) is about speed."

Jojo Johnson, who lives above the bay, said she believes the proposal would drive wildlife out of the conservation area.

"This project is development, not conservation," she said. "This isn't just about conserving the land; it's giving a voice to the animals. It's important to conserve areas like this and not develop it."

However, Pavlat said BLM doesn't believe the proposal will have an impact on wildlife or jeopardize the natural state of the area.

"Wildlife is resilient," he said. "We don't believe that there will be a substantial impact."

Pavlat said while trails are part of the plan, many trails that currently exist — including game trails and old logging roads — will be utilized. He said no new roads are planned.

If the proposal is approved, Pavlat said improvements will be done in phases to limit impacts to the recreating public.

The BLM and concerned residents disagree whether the proposal aligns with how the Wallace L. Forest family intended it to be preserved.

The project would reduce tree stocking levels and treat hazardous fuels across about 616 acres within the conservation area, according to BLM. A combination of vegetative treatment would be used, including selective harvest, pre-commercial thinning, hazardous fuels reduction and prescribed burning.

All treatments would favor leaving tree species such as Western larch, Ponderosa pine and Western white pine, which are more tolerant of disease and wildfire, according to BLM. Treatments would be phased over six years and would begin next year.

Gravel parking lots are proposed for multiple areas within the conservation area as well as a single-track trail through the meadow connecting the east and west sides.

Resident Bob Grammer lives near one of the proposed parking lots.

"This will totally change the character of the place we live," Grammer said, adding the proposal seems contrary to BLM's mission statement. "I'm not opposed to people having a great time, but this is not the right place for it. There's mountain biking in other places."

Pavlat said BLM has received about 30 comments on the proposal with about 75 percent of them in favor of no improvements whatsoever. The other 25 percent favors some vegetation removal with no trail construction.

Pavlat said the improvements will be funded by timber sales from the site. He said BLM will work with volunteers to develop the trails.