State seeks applicants for group on Church Slough wakes

Applicants with an open mind are sought for a new group to help pin down a formal ruling on boat wakes at Church Slough, state officials said Monday.

Roughly between Somers and Creston, motorboats on the popular water loop off the Flathead River spurred a recent petition for the state to implement a yearlong no-wake rule in the slough.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission ultimately stalled a formal vote last month on the proposed wake rule, instead charging Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to form a new workgroup to suss out a solution.

The deadline to apply for the new group is 5 p.m. April 8.

An initial petition in 2011 called for the commission to close boating on Church Slough from March 1 to April 10 annually to help protect migrating waterfowl.

The petition then requested a no-wake rule for the remainder of the year — from April 11 through Feb. 28, annually — to limit bank erosion, equalize motored and paddled boating and reduce boating hazards.

Remaining effective now, only the March-April seasonal boating closure passed.

In then denying the no-wake rule, the commission mainly cited a lacking use of the slough in warranting reduced boating speeds. It pegged bank erosion from wakes as an unfounded claim.

Supported with nearly 150 signatures, however, a second petition surfaced last October — this time asking for another no-wake rule on the slough when it is not entirely closed to boats.

It was submitted by Ben and Maureen Louden, and Melanie Cross and Andy Hurst.

They called specifically for a “no wake speed” ruling — similar to that in nearby Fennon Slough — for public health and safety, erosion control, protection of fish and wildlife habitat, and reduced noise and toxins, according to the petition.

A no-wake speed is defined in Montana as having “no ‘white’ water in the track or path of the vessel or in created waves immediate to the vessel.”

FWP staff ultimately deferred in making recommendations to the commission per the second petition, referring to a wake ruling at Church Slough as a “social issue.”

The commission followed up in February with a unanimous vote to form the new group in fleshing out wakes there.

A resulting application through FWP to join the workgroup now asks applicants whether they’re a motorized or nonmotorized boat user, private landowner or angler.

“Working group members will need to be open-minded and collaborate with other members when moving toward a recommendation,” the application noted.

With two written-response questions, it also asks that applicants mark areas of interest from a provided list of activities, from public access and water skiing to farming and ranching, and photography.

Dillon Tabish, regional communication and education program manager, said the department is not limiting entry into the new group.

“It’s open to everybody,” Tabish said. “We’re trying to make sure to spread it out as best we can so that it has good, balanced representation.”

He said a timeline for the group to convene and ultimately make recommendations to the commission has not yet been defined, either, potentially lasting through just the summer.

“We’ll identify the process moving forward,” Tabish said. “I imagine it won’t be more than a couple of meetings. We don’t want to draw it out.”

The application can be viewed or downloaded at fwp.mt.gov.

Completed applications should be dropped off or mailed to FWP Church Slough Working Group, cc: Dillon Tabish, 490 North Meridian, Kalispell, MT 59901, or emailed to Dillon.Tabish@mt.go, according to the department.

Reporter John McLaughlin can be reached at 758-4439 or jmclaughlin@dailyinterlake.com