Forest Service screens tram proposal, opposition is quick to mount

The Forest Service will screen whether a proposed tramway up Columbia Mountain by Pursuit Glacier Park Collection will move forward, Flathead National Forest Supervisor Anthony Botello said last week.

The 91 acres in Hungry Horse where the proposed tramway’s base would be located is classified as 6-C under the 2018 Flathead National Forest plan.

That calls for high-intensity vegetative management with motorized use. Currently, it's a large but thinned woodlot, with a paved multi-use path running along part of it.

The land at the Northwest shoulder of Columbia Mountain, where the tram would stop, is classified as 5-B, backcountry motorized use year-round, but only on designated routes/areas.

The upper end is also in inventoried roadless areas.

Currently, re trails up Columbia Mountain motorcyclists use, but primarily biking, as the route to the top is long and steep.

The screening process is not public, and Botello said public comment will not be taken. He said that would come later if the proposal clears screening.

Part of that process is whether the proposal is compatible with the Forest Plan, and whether the Bonneville Power Authority would approve a tramway over its high-powered transmission lines, which cross Bad Rock Canyon from east to west.

Presumably, the tramway lines would have to cross over or under those lines, which carry thousands of watts of electricity daily from the Hungry Horse Dam to the power grid. The Forest Service would also consult with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, as the Canyon is considered sacred ground.

The screening will examine “public interest and public need for the proposal,” Botello said.

Botello said the tramway was rejected in 2022 because of site-specific concerns. He noted the latest proposal seems to be very similar to the 2022 one Pursuit submitted. He said the decision to move forward would be local, with assistance from regional and national staff.

“Receipt of the proposal initiates a set of screening criteria whereby the Forest determines whether the proposal meets public need, and whether the proponent has financial and technical ability to operate the proposed development. If the proposal meets the screening criteria, then it is formally accepted by the Forest Service and an environmental analysis and public involvement is initiated as required under the National Environmental Policy Act, including the opportunity for public engagement,” the Forest Service said in a release. “Pursuit is an established and valued partner in providing recreation opportunities on the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park for many years, as well as across the country and internationally. A tram to the top of Columbia Mountain was proposed a few years ago and we heard a lot of valuable public feedback,” said Botello in a release. “If the proposal meets initial screening criteria, I am committed to working with public and Pursuit to evaluate this proposal and make an informed decision.  I am looking forward to engaging with the community.”

While Pursuit claims the year-round attraction will provide another recreational opportunity for visitors, critics have already noted that Whitefish Mountain Resort already offers the same amenities, as does Blacktail Mountain, at least in the winter months.

Pursuit notes that one of the tramway's main attractions is the views back into Glacier National Park, which visitors can already get from Big Mountain and Blacktail Mountain.

The tram can hold 100 people at one time and shuttle them to the top in about 6 minutes, the company said in its promotional material. Once at the top, the company said its promotional website would include a restaurant and other amenities, as well as paved trails.

“It is disappointing to see the proposed tram, which the public adamantly opposed and the Forest Service rejected, come back virtually unchanged. As in 2022, the tram remains an inappropriate development for the wild, northern terminus of the Swan Range. Columbia Mountain provides quality, secure habitat for big game as well as sensitive species like grizzly bears and lynx, and is part of an important regional wildlife corridor. Pumping thousands of people a day to the top of Columbia Mountain will harm wildlife, create conflicts with existing backcountry recreational use, and totally alter the aesthetics of the mountain,” Peter Metcalf, executive director of the Glacier Two Medicine alliance, said. “...This irresponsible proposal is just the latest example of out-of-state corporations trying to turn our last wild places into amusement parks for their private profit. We encourage the Forest Service to stick to its existing Forest Plan and reject this ridiculous idea once again.”

Columbia Mountain has also gone largely unscathed through history. The Hungry Horse News has no record of the west face being logged or roaded, and in the 1990s, it was part of a larger wilderness bill that passed Congress but was ultimately vetoed by then-President Ronald Reagan.

Keith Hammer, chairman of the Swan View Coalition, also criticized the proposal.

“This is a rich-get-richer scheme and the greed is already apparent,” Hammer said.

“What will come next, more trails to connect with other trails, downhill mountain bike  trails, maybe a downhill ski run or two? Once these rich guys get started, they’ll be  wanting more from public taxpayers and public lands in order to increase their profits – just as has happened with the Holland Lake Lodge Special Use Permit with the public  paying to enlarge the private lodge’s sewer system.”

The proposal has also proven very unpopular with locals on social media, with most comments opposing it.

Botello said the screening process will take 60 to 90 days.