Officials from the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park management heard public thoughts and concerns about the fish and wildlife of the three forks of the Flathead River area at a meeting Wednesday evening at Flathead Valley Community College.

The Flathead National Forest is working with Glacier Park to prepare a comprehensive river management plan for the three forks, which include the South, Middle and North forks of the Flathead River. Part of that effort includes a review of the existing Wild and Scenic River recreation management direction and river management plan.

Additionally, there will be several public meetings.

“We want to hear from the public about concerns that we may have not thought of,” said Eric Smith, the deputy superintendent at Glacier Park.

The park shares boundaries with the national forest on the Middle and North forks of the Flathead River.

After brief presentations by U.S. Forest Service personnel, the meeting was broken down into citizen groups, where individuals talked about their areas of concern.

Larry Epstein, a former attorney who now lives in Essex, said residential and business development has increased greatly in the past 20 years.

“Maybe it’s time to see if the Wild and Scenic easements could be expanded to limit that type of development. Building in the tributaries definitely has an impact on wildlife,” Epstein said.

He also spoke about how increased river traffic could disturb harlequin ducks, which, according to Forest Service figures, have declined slightly in population since they were first monitored in the Flathead National Forest in the late 1980s.

Many called for monitoring more species in the corridor, beyond predators such as bears and wolves. There were also concerns about seeing fewer deer and elk in the Middle and North forks.

Others brought up the possibility of using a permit system for those boating on the North Fork, to combat an increased human presence affecting wildlife there.

Courtney Stone, the marketing director for Glacier Guides and Montana Raft, asked about an amphibian study and tried to determine how indicator species, such as frogs, were doing in the Three Forks.

Anne Wheeler, a Nyack resident, spoke of the unregulated river traffic that she believed caused more problems for wildlife, such as unguided river trips resulting in more litter. She also felt that the increase of wolves in the area were preventing elk from lounging as they used to.

“They have to stay on the move,” Wheeler said.

She also believed that it would be beneficial to compile a complete list of species that use the corridor because “there are many others of critical concern there.”

The first meeting on the comprehensive plan focused on water quality conditions.

According to the Forest Service, the goal of the planning effort is to secure the outstanding remarkable values of the the Flathead River for future generations.

The three forks of the Flathead were designated as a Wild and Scenic River in 1978 and are a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The designation encompasses the North Fork of the Flathead from the Canadian border to its confluence with the Middle Fork, the entire Middle Fork, and the South Fork from its headwaters to Hungry Horse Reservoir.

The North Fork and the lower Middle Fork form the boundaries between the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. Portions of the Middle and South Forks flow through the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness Areas. A total of 219 miles of the Flathead River are included in the designation.

The next meeting is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 25. A location has not been established, but Forest Service officials said it would be announced soon.

Future meeting topics, links to past meeting materials and the meeting schedule are posted on the CRMP website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/home/?cid=fseprd573051&width=full.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker can be reached at sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com or at 758-4441.