Close the Loop The Whitefish Trail The Whitefish Trail History - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Close the Loop The Whitefish Trail The Whitefish Trail History - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jun 07, 2023 357 likes •789 views

Close the Loop The Whitefish Trail The Whitefish Trail History John Muhlfeld, Mayor, City of WF Project Update Partnerships Close the Loop Overview Heidi Van Everen, ED, WLP Phase I Haskill Phase II Beaver to Swift

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Close the Loop The Whitefish Trail

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History – John Muhlfeld, Mayor, City of WF Project Update Partnerships Close the Loop Overview – Heidi Van Everen, ED, WLP

  • Phase I Haskill
  • Phase II Beaver to Swift
  • Phase III Swift to Haskill
  • Phase IV Lupfer Connection & Phase V Spencer Mtn.

Budget & Funding – Alan Myers-Davis, DD, WLP WT Long-term Operations & Maintenance WT Economic Impact Wrap-Up and Q & A

The Whitefish Trail

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  • CREATE A FRAMEWORK for orderly and predictable conservation and development land

uses on trust lands for the lands in this Neighborhood Plan over the next 20 years.

  • ENHANCE RECREATIONAL USE of trust lands for multiple users in a manner that provides

compensation and supports the local economy and provides responsible stewardship of the natural resources.

  • PRESERVE AND MAINTAIN CRITICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT for sensitive, threatened, and/or locally

significant species.

  • MAINTAIN THE HIGH WATER QUALITY in the Whitefish Lake watershed, the primary source of

drinking water for Whitefish.

Whitefish School Trust Lands Neighborhood Plan - 2004

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The cooperation of multiple partners has afforded an opportunity to create an interconnected trail that stretches from a trailhead on Swift Creek at the north end of Whitefish Lake to the southern end of Spencer Mountain, via Boyle Lake, Beaver Lakes, and Skyles Lake. This multi-use trail could be connected in a continuous loop to Whitefish and would be the spine of a recreational system that interconnects to neighborhoods and trailheads along the way.

NP Implementation Strategy 2.1 – Create a Regional Loop Trail

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2006 WT Master Plan

“To ensure this privilege will be available for future generations, DNRC and the Whitefish community formed an unprecedented partnership to plan for these lands. One recommendation was to establish a recreational trail system that will connect the various State Trust Land parcels and create a main trail corridor encircling the greater Whitefish area.”

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2004

  • Whitefish Neighborhood Plan adopted by MT State Land Board,

Flathead County, and City of Whitefish 2006

  • Whitefish Trail Master Plan completed

2008

  • WLP and City formalize partnership and 1st conservation

transaction completed supporting MT Schools and Universities 2009 - 10

  • Lion Mountain and Lupfer Grand Opening
  • WT awarded $500,000 RTP grant for regionally significant project

2012-13

  • WT O&M Endowment established
  • Swift Creek and Woods Lake Open

2014

  • 1,520 acres in Beaver Lakes protected forever
  • $7.3M to MT Schools and Universities

2015

  • Spencer Mountain (with FAMB) and Dollar Lake Open
  • WT Learning Pavilion Opens

2016-17

  • 3,022 acres in Haskill Basin protected forever (with FWP & TPL)
  • WT Haskill completed - Phase I of Close the Loop

Whitefish Trail MILESTONES

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2017…

✓ 42 miles of trail accessed by 12 trailheads ✓ Whitefish Trail project has partnered to protect 6,000+ acres

  • f local lands in permanent

conservation ✓ ~1,600/year attendance to free and affordable education programs ✓ Annual trail visitation ~100,000 ✓ 100% WT maintained by volunteers

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Phase I: Haskill

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✓ 3,022 acres protected ✓ 84% voters approved resort tax increase ✓ 5.5 miles new WT ✓ New Reservoir TH ✓ New Big Mountain TH

✓ Trail connection from downtown to Big Mtn w/ groomed XC access ✓ 5 Landowners ✓ Partnerships w/ Flathead Land Trust, Glacier Nordic Club & Iron Horse

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Haskill Match Challenge

November 2016 – March 2017

  • Project includes:
  • $25k O&M set-aside
  • $35k WT Survey set-aside
  • Partners:

City of Whitefish Iron Horse HOA Flathead Land Trust F H Stoltze Land & Lumber Winter Sports, Inc./WMR Glacier Nordic Club MT Fish, Wildlife, & Parks

Grants $251,333 Donations $232,877

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

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Trailhead Site Plan – Lower Haskill

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Photo Credit Marc O’Brien

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#whitefishtrail

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Phase II: DNRC

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2006 Beaver to Swift Map

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Phase II: ✓ Permanent 16’ trail easement ✓ 480 acres protected at Smith Lake ✓ 8.2 miles, 1 TH & 4 bridges ✓ 100% on School Trust Lands Key Partners: ✓ BNSF Railroad ✓ Whitefish Lake Institute ✓ Adjacent Private Landowners Complex Project: ✓ Environmentally Sensitive Areas ✓ Critical Wildlife Habitat ✓ Challenging Terrain ✓ Large Landscape - connectivity

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*Rendering ONLY, Location & design pending complete river analysis

Thanks for rendering concept

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Aerial video and Swift Bridge Rendering

*Rendering ONLY, location & design pending complete river analysis

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TIMELINE

WT Planning – 2015-2017 Proposal Development – March – June 2017 DNRC completes MT Environmental Policy Analysis (MEPA) - June – ongoing MEPA – analysis & public disclosure; 6-8 month process MEPA outcome = Environmental Analysis report (EA) Public comment on Draft EA – Jan 2018; 30 day period DNRC Final Decision on proposal – Feb/March 2018 ACTION Funding needed Land Board approval required – phases and/or options GOAL = shovel-ready by 2020

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Phase III: USFS, DNRC & private

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2006 Swift to Haskill Map

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Phase III:

✓ ~3 mi. trail construction – USFS ✓ 4+ miles Trail on private ✓ ~8 miles total & 1 TH on USFS ✓ Long-term O&M plan w/ USFS

Key Partners: ✓ USFS Flathead Nat. Forest ✓ Whitefish Mtn. Resort ✓ 8-10 Private Landowners ✓ DNRC Complex Project: ✓ Steep & Challenging terrain ✓ Numerous landowners ✓ Large Landscape – connectivity important

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Draft Budget for Grant Purposes Only

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Bridges $1,312,500 Trail $748,670 Trailheads $136,500 Paved Bike Path $236,250 Long Term O&M $89,045 Conservation Easements $4,149,000

DRAFT Close the Loop Budget*

Bridges Trail Trailheads Paved Bike Path Long Term O&M Conservation Easements

2010-2017 - $9,170,000 Close the Loop* - $6,671,965

Total Whitefish Trail Project Expenses

2010-2017 Close the Loop*

*Draft Budgets for Grant Purposes! Actuals pending appraisals, approval, and design.

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Close the Loop Potential Funding Sources Under Consideration

➢ Community Forest & Open Space Conservation Program (CFP) ➢ Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) ➢ Federal Infrastructure Bill ➢ Open Space Bond ➢ City Resort Tax ➢ Partnerships ➢ WLP Fundraising/Capital Campaign ➢ Community Bake Sales ☺

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Operations & Maintenance

O&M Expenses:

  • Leases (currently $15k/year)
  • Trailhead Maintenance
  • Trail Maintenance
  • Administrative Support

O&M Resources:

  • Non-Cash Volunteer Programs
  • Cash: “Adopt-A-Trail” Sponsors,

Grants, and Partners

  • Cash: Existing O&M Endowment

($900k)

  • Cash: NEW Dedicated O&M Fund
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Long-term O & M Plan

O&M Coverage:

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H.R.4665 - Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act

  • f 2016

“The Secretary of Commerce shall enter into a joint memorandum with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to conduct, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, an assessment and analysis of the outdoor recreation economy of the United States and the effects attributable to such economy

  • n the overall economy of the United States.”

Passed both the US House and the US Senate UNANIMOUSLY and signed into law by President Obama on December 8, 2016.

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MT Office of Outdoor Recreation Director, Rachel Vandevoort

  • Outdoor Recreation now largest sector of MT economy
  • $7.1 billion/year generated in consumer spending
  • 70,000 jobs that pay $2 billion in wages
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44305 Lion Mtn 58% 8349 Beaver 11% 13684 Swift 18% 9543 Spencer 13%

Preliminary WT Usage October ‘16 - October ’17*

Lion Mtn Beaver Swift Spencer

4 trail counters – TOTAL 75,881 non-unique visits

*Preliminary data only

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Lion Mountain Trails Only 73% To Skyles or Beaver 27%

Lion Mountain Trail Usage*

Lion Mountain Trails Only To Skyles or Beaver

*Preliminary data only

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Top graph shows hourly usage at Lion Mountain on a Saturday and the bottom graph shows hourly usage at Lion Mountain during a week day

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Economic Impact – Whitefish Outdoor Recreation

65% 35%

Is recreation the primary purpose of your visit? (687 responses)

Yes No

*Preliminary data only

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On Foot 70% Bikes 30%

How are you traveling on the trail today?

On Foot Bikes

Headwaters Economics Final Report Presentation December 11, 5:00 PM The Firebrand Hotel

*Preliminary data only*

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Thank you

Photo Credit Lindsey Jane Photogr