Shields River Phone-In Public Hearing
The Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a phone-in public hearing on Oct. 6, at 10 a.m., to consider the proposed adoption and amendment of a new rule and amendment pertaining to closing the Shields River to all 10 horse-power motorized watercraft. The Shields River is in Park and Meagher counties. Currently, the Park County portion of the river has a 10 horse-power restriction on motorboats, while the Meagher County portions have no restrictions. This proposed petition sets a dangerous precedent to restrict both motorized and non motorized boat travel and even subdue reasonable public access to rivers that have limited access points such as the Shields river.
Public comment will be taken during the meeting. Written data, views or arguments may also be submitted to: Phil Kilbreath, FWP Enforcement Division, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, Montana, 59620-0701; or e-mailed to pkilbreath@mt.gov. Comments must be received no later than Oct. 9, 2020.
To participate in the public hearing via telephone, call 1-646-558-8656, enter the meeting number: 923 3117 9115, followed by the password: 508621.
CBU IS OPPOSSING THIS PROPOSED PETITION, below is a sample comment.
Mail To:
Phil Kilbreath
FWP Enforcement Division P.O. Box 200701
Helena, Montana 59620-0701
Shields River Use Management Comment
I am writing to voice my strong opposition to the recent petition that aims to ban all motorized use on the Shields River. I believe that the current restriction of motorboats over 10 horsepower is more than adequate in maintaining public safety. This petition fails to mention that there has never been a recorded collision or incident involving a motorized vessel on the Shields River.
The claim that recent technological advancements of inboard and outboard motor technology have resulted in regular use of the Shields River is vague and unsubstantiated. The petition cites no facts or supporting evidence about what technological advancements have occurred which create an issue that wasn’t present when the Shields River was originally restricted to 10 horsepower back in 2001. The petition also cites no real evidence about how frequent motorized use of this river currently is.
The petitioners’ argument that motorized travel creates a possibility of collision is also unproven, unsubstantiated, and not factual. The petition ignores the fact that there is a number of rules and regulations set forth by the department that regulate how a motorized vessel is to be operated when used within certain distances of fisherman, non-motorized vessels, and other non-motorized users. The fact that there has never been a citation issued to a motorized user on the Shields River for violating safety procedure is also absent from the petition.
The claim that vessels operating on the Shields River within the current 10 horsepower restriction are traveling at high speeds is deceptive and factually incorrect as well. The petitioners didn’t even bother to support this claim with an estimated or approximate speed at which such vessels have been witnessed traveling at. If vessels are being witnessed traveling at high speeds, I believe that thorough law enforcement would be a much better management solution over restricting an entire user group altogether.
The landowners behind this petition addressed no concern to public access. It is no secret that the Shields River is extremely limited to the public, especially to vessels like rafts, canoes, and other non-motorized equipment. The Shields has only one established fishing access site, and it does not have immediate access to the riverbank for someone trying to launch a vessel such as a raft. Other than that, the public is left to a handful of public road crossings that only allow for walk-in access and are generally miles apart. For the petitioners who live miles from a public access point, the implementation of this purposed rule would mean virtually no public presence on the river adjacent to their property.
I sincerely hope that the Commission stands to support public access rather than restriction based on fact- less influence from private landowners.
Signed:_______________________________ Date:______________