Authorities say visitor behavior improving
By JOHN CRAMER of the Missoulian
A stretch of the Blackfoot River near Missoula once plagued by rowdy summer behavior has become more family friendly, authorities say.
In 2004, a growing amount of illegal parking, drunkenness, littering and other problems prompted a crackdown by local, state and federal agencies.
Since then, the number of arrests, citations and warnings has dropped significantly. Many families have called authorities to thank them for the crackdown.
“The situation has really turned around,” said Capt. Willis Hintz of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Department.
Despite the push to improve public safety and behavior, the number of visitors has continued to climb.
“We don’t want to take away people’s fun,” Hintz said. “We just want them to behave respectfully.”
Six miles of the river between the Whitaker Bridge and Johnsrud Park attract thousands of people each weekend from early July to late August.
They come to socialize, soak up the sun and float on inner tubes and inflatable rafts. But in past years, many also ended up drunk and unruly, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere for families.
A drunken man once had to be subdued with a stun gun. Some revelers decided to go tubing naked. Others cranked up stereos. Others parked in a helter-skelter fashion. Others got in fistfights; accidents, many of them serious, were increasingly common on Highway 200.
“If you pulled up with your family, you’d turn around and go somewhere else,” said Chet Crowser, river recreation manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
But that situation started to change in 2004 when the Blackfoot River interagency group starting meeting each spring before the summer recreation season and again in the fall to look for ways to fix the problems.
Emergency service calls to the Potomac Fire Department have dropped 80 percent since 2004, while overall arrests and citations by the sheriff’s department have dropped by about 50 percent.
“Our biggest success is this cooperative venture between all the agencies,” Crowser said. “It’s worked very well.”
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management controls most of the land along that stretch of river, but FWP helps to manage it.
The Johnsrud boat ramp and parking area have been improved. Similar improvements are being considered for the Whitaker Bridge fishing access.
Also, a public phone allowing free local calls was installed at Johnsrud, where cell phones don’t work, to improve public safety.
Officials also are planning ahead to handle changes in river recreation when the Milltown Reservoir cleanup, restoration and redevelopment project is completed in the next several years.
Floaters, boaters, anglers and other recreationists are expected to flock to the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers, which are flowing freely for the first time in a century since the dam was breached in March. The area remains closed to the public until the project is complete.
FWP also is handing out violation information notebooks to the public to encourage them to report violators.
And the Montana Department of Transportation is considering adding a left turn lane at Highway 200 for Johnsrud Park Road.
Reporter John Cramer can be reached at 523-5259 or at johncramer@missoulian.com.
