Doney Lake habitat improvement project field tour set for Aug. 29

Supplemental EA for the proposed project will be released later this fall

 

OVANDO- As part of the proposed Doney Lake habitat improvement project, originally released for public comment this past January, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff will conduct a public field tour on a portion of the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area (WMA).  The tour is set for Tuesday, Aug. 29, beginning at 12 p.m.

During the original review of the proposed Doney Lake project, FWP received 43 comments related to the draft environmental assessment (EA), many of which asked for additional details or analyses to help understand the potential benefits and impacts of the proposed project. This field tour is part of that follow-up and additional review.

Following the tour, FWP will also develop a draft supplemental EA that will be published on FWP’s website this fall at fwp.mt.gov/news/public-notices for a 30-day public comment period.

The Aug. 29 field tour will cover portions of the Ovando Mountain Unit of the Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA. Participants will get a chance to see areas that are being considered for forest improvement projects that are aimed at enhancing wildlife habitat and forest health on the WMA. The FWP forester and local wildlife biologist will be on hand to describe proposed treatments, answer questions, listen to feedback, and discuss project objectives.

The tour will begin at 12 p.m. Participants should meet at the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area kiosk at the “Boot Tree,” located on Boot Tree Road off Highway 200, approximately .7 miles east of Trixi’s Antler Saloon near the town of Ovando.

Interested persons should RSVP to help plan for carpooling to tour locations. Please call FWP Blackfoot-area wildlife biologist, Mike Ebinger, at 406-210-3479 if you are planning to attend (leave a message if no answer) or with additional questions about the project.

After the tour, attendees can survey addition parts of the project area at their own pace in accordance with WMA regulations.

 

        -fwp-