Swan lakers committed to protecting watershed

By JACOB DORAN

Bigfork Eagle

For the past two years, the Swan Lakers have gained public attention at the local and state level, for taking the Lake County Commissioners to court over their approval of the Kootenai Condominium project.

Members of the Swan Lakers filed suit in the Montana 20th Judicial District Court, bringing a petition for judicial review and declaratory judgement, along with a request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order. The group alleges that Milhous Group president, Paul Milhous, sought the Lake County Commissioners' approval for the condo project preliminary plat, before former Kootenai Lodge property owners Mark and Debi Rolfing signed the joint application that would have allowed the project to be considered by county officials, and that the application itself lacked critical information, failing to identify any disposal site for sewage.

A third lawsuit, related to the condo project was filed by Swan Lakers, with legal representation from Tuholske Law Office, in Missoula and Thueson Law Office, in Helena. Consequently, the restraining order was granted, barring the Lake County Commissioners from issuing final plat approval while the lawsuit was pending.

However, members of the Swan Lakers group say they intend to protect the Swan Valley in more ways than just stopping development with the potential to adversely affect the area's ecology. They have undertaken a number of projects to clean up the area, preserve water quality and protect area wildlife.

Although the group formed two years ago, as a group of Swan Valley property owners, in response to the Kootenai Lodge issue, the Swan Lakers quickly grew to include 300 members from all across the state.

Last month, several of the group's members gathered to clean-up the Swan River, beginning at the north end of Swan Lake, all the way to the Landmark Lane takeout in south Ferndale. By foot, kayak, canoe and boat, Swan Lakers volunteers scoured the river, in search of trash and debris.

The second such project that the Swan Lakers have conducted since last year, the effort proved has helped to make the river both cleaner and safer for everyone who depends upon it, whether human or animal. What they found in the riverbed was both insightful and surprising.

"The cleanup was a tremendous success," Swan Lakes president, Peter Leander said, last week. "It was so great to see all this stuff come out of the river. We took out everything from pallets and Styrofoam to bottles and cans.

"We cleaned up an enormous amount of debris that construction crews let get into the river, when they built the new bridge. I was really surprised at how much wood and metal we found that had gone into the river doing the reconstruction of the bridge."

Kitty Kellogg, one of the volunteers, was shocked by the materials that had fallen into the river, when workers were busy constructing a new bridge, earlier this year.

"One canoe was just full of boards and rusty nails," Kellogg said. "It was unbelievable to think that they let that much go into the river.

"There were also lots of cans and bottles, but most of that got taken out during the cleanup that we had last year, at the same time. Except for the debris from the bridge, it was definitely a lot cleaner than last year. Last year, we had a trailer full of garbage bags, and there were a lot more beer bottles and debris from people's docks. I think that our sign at river access about packing in and packing out, helped to make people more conscientious about taking their trash with them and keeping the area picked up."

The Swan Lakers paid for two signs, one of which was placed at the boating access and a second that will be placed near the takeout access. The signs stress to visitors the importance of packing out their trash, concluding in bold letters, "Swan Valley is too lovely to litter."

This coming Saturday, the Swan Lakers will also coordinate a cleanup of Highways 209 and 82, the third time that volunteers have taken done a highway cleanup since the group organized in 2005. Leander stressed the fact that people do not have to be members of the Swan Lakers to take part in the cleanup and that all are welcome to help.

Among other projects, which are in the works, Leander said that the group is also working with the National Forrest Service and fish biologists to curb the negative effects of lake trout that have gotten into Swan Lake. A second major project will involve working with Swan Valley residents and Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials to protect two goose nesting islands owned by the state, by increasing public awareness of their importance and establishing a no wake zone around the islands.

"The Swan Lakers is really a great grass-roots effort to take care of our area and protect the Swan Valley watershed," Leander said. "It is everything that you could ever hope a community organization would be. It has given information, empowerment and participation to neighbors, most of whom didn't even know each other before we formed. It has brought people together to work toward a common purpose and has really given them a sense of community."

Leander added that the group does not want to stop development but, rather, to see development occur that is consistent with other appropriate development in the area and considerate of the lake and environment.