If you know and love the Jack Creek Canyon road, as I have for 55 years, please join me to preserve and protect this road. Madison County Commissioners continue their illegal and out-of-integrity plans to widen the road to a two lane capacity, for the benefit of the Big Sky Ski Resort corporation. Do they propose this in a straight forward way? No...they do it bit by bit with lies and deceit. Were cutting down branches that affect the power line was one recent announcement. Were removing bushes that affect the snowplow was another. Then they proceeded to devastate the natural vegetation on the sides of the road with their hacker machine. There was no bushes or branches affecting the power line that were cut down, and the snowplow really doesnt plow half way up the banks on the side of the road. The true reason for this removal? Make it easier to plow the road wider. But this same vegetation that they removed is also helping to stabilize the soils from eroding into the creek. Next they work out a deal with the Forest Service to cut down the trees on the side of the road. Why the Forest Service? Because the Forest Service doesnt need any permits to cut down trees...they have the right to cut any trees anywhere that could be a fire threat to the wilderness areas. But, again, this is a lie. The trees are being cut down so that the road can be widened. Does the road need to be widened? We shared the road for nearly 10 years with huge semis when Jack Creek Drainage was being logged. No one was concerned about widening the road back then because it wasnt needed. It still isnt. Its a two mile stretch of road that ends at the private Big Sky Ski Resort road. Jack Creek Canyon is a wild and beautiful ecosystem. Jack Creek itself, which the road borders, is protected under the Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act of 1975 (310 law) which requires projects, such as what the commissioners want to do, to submit its true plans to the local conservation district and get the required permit. Streambank vegetation is expressly protected under the administrative regulations which guide the implementation of the 310 law. “Streambank vegetation must be protected except where removal of such vegetation is necessary for the completion of [an approved] project, When removal of vegetation is necessary, it must be kept to a minimum.” -See R. 36.2.410(6), ARM If you are a person who believes government is meant to work for the people not the large corporations, please call the Madison County Commissioners at 406-843-4277 (email: [email protected]) and demand they follow the law. #ProtectandpreserveJackCreekRoad
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:25:46 +0000