Missoula, MT— The U.S. Forest Service has announced an extension of the public comment period for the Eddy Creek Road Access Project on the Plains and Thompson Falls Ranger District. The comment period will now run through January 30, 2025, giving the public an additional seven days to weigh in on the proposed project.
Located approximately 11 miles northwest of Plains, Montana, in the Eddy Creek Drainage, the project aims to issue a special-use permit to a private landowner who owns a 196-acre inholding. This permit would grant the landowner unlimited motorized access to their property via Forest Road 7579-1, a National Forest System road. The landowner would be responsible for improving and maintaining the road to bring it up to state best management practice standards, at their own expense.
At present, FSR 7579-1 is open to the public for non-motorized access to nearby public lands. Under the proposed project, the road would remain open for public non-motorized use, while the special-use permit holder would be granted motorized access to their property. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the possibility of a reciprocal public easement through the private property.
Curtis Rintz, District Ranger for the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District, explained that the extension of the comment period comes in response to significant public interest in the project. “There has been extensive public interest in this project, and we are extending the comment period an additional seven days,” said Rintz.
The project is part of the Forest Service’s efforts to maintain the road and address the increasing need for access to the private landowner’s property. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA), Section 1323, grants non-federal landowners the right of access to their land via public lands when necessary to ensure reasonable use and enjoyment.
While the road would not be open to the public for motorized access, the project would allow the landowner to improve the road to better support their intended uses, while minimizing environmental impacts. The Forest Service has emphasized that all costs associated with road improvements and maintenance would fall on the permit holder, with oversight from the agency.
The Forest Service is urging individuals to submit their comments by the extended deadline to ensure that public input is considered in the decision-making process.
