tur trade, the gold rush and the lusty epoch 

 of the river steanier. 



This reach of the river yields itself ideally 

 to high quality recreational adventure by boat 

 travel through this superb waterway. 



3. A recreational waterway designation has 

 been made for that portion of the Flathead 

 River above Flaihead Lake and including the 

 North ond Middle Forks and the South Fork 

 above the Hungry Horse impoundment. 



Game fishing in the main Flathead River 

 from the Glacier Park area down to the lake 

 is of a quality that designates this reach as 

 a "Blue Ribbon Fishery." The aspect from the 

 river is particularly pleasing as this major 

 water course winds through the upper Flat- 

 head Valley. 



The North Fork, bordered on the east by 

 Glacier Park and on the west by Flathead 

 National Forest, presents an outstanding scenic 

 quality and yet is rather easily accessible to 

 outdoorsmen for bank or float type fishing. 

 The Middle Fork of the Flathead, originating 

 in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, presents 

 a challenging opportunity for the retention of 

 one of the few truly wild stretches of river in 

 North America. 



The South Fork of the Flathead above the 

 Hungry Horse Reservoir is largely within the 

 Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Its free-flowing 

 status is therefore essential to the wilderness 

 aspect of this nationally famous area. In addi- 

 tion to the present outstanding river fishing 

 provided, the presently unimpounded river 

 complex of the main Flathead, and the No.rth 

 and Middle Forks make up essential spawn- 

 ing waters for the tremendously important sport 

 fishery of Flathead Lake. 



Carefuly prepared recreation plans are being 

 drawn up for each of the three waterways pres- 

 ently included in the system. High quality fish- 

 ing opportunities represent an important aspect 

 of the program. Float trips and associated rec- 

 reation activities are also being given high 

 priority in these plans. 



In all cases only those developments in keep- 

 ing with a quality experience are being con- 

 sidered. 



The Recreational Waterway System is partic- 

 ularly fitting in Montana where a fair share of 

 free-flowing waters are still available for tine 

 consideration of such classification. This is a 

 situation becoming increasingly rare through- 

 out the nation. 



The preservation of free-flowing waters, with 

 emphasis on recreation should in no way inter- 

 fere with the present agricultural economy of 

 river valleys involved. 



Lands 



The 1965 Legislature passed a bill wliich 

 clarifif"-! \h" rniihority and set the procedures 



for the Fish and Game Commission to dispose 

 of surplus lands and to enter into land ex- 

 changes. 



The provisions of this law have been put to 

 good use during this biennium. In most cases 

 it has been found more beneficial to exchange 

 lands surplus to wildlife needs for lands that 

 are badly needed, although some land has 

 been sold to the highest bidder. Five individ- 

 ual sites were sold, totaling 837.18 acres loi 

 a total price of $92,443.64. About 4,000 acres 

 were disposed of by trades for other lands 

 and about 1,500 acres plus $35,000 in cash 

 were received in these exchanges. During the 

 biennium, approximately 1,600 acres have been 

 purchased at a cost of approximately $115,000. 

 The main effort has been to obtain parks and 

 fishing access lands, although some minor pur- 

 chases have concerned blocking out existing 

 game ranges and waterfowl areas. (See Ap- 

 pendix for details.) 



Certain state-owned lands at Flathead Lake 

 were set aside by the State Land Board for 

 use as State Parks. A state low permits the 

 Board to make such dedication in special cases 

 where state school lands are particularly suited 

 for park use. This special Land Board action 

 involved 48.68 acres at Flathead State Park 

 and about 35 acres for a new park at Elmo. 



State law requires the Montana Fish and 

 Game Commission to make payments in lieu 

 of taxes. The Commission-owned lands in each 

 county are assessed and annual payment is 

 made in the same amount, as if the land were 

 privately owned. These payments in lieu of 

 taxes are not required for lands totaling less 

 than 100 acres per county, nor for lands used 

 as bird farms or fish hatcheries. (See Appen- 

 dix for county listing.) 



The Federal Government (Bureau of Land 

 Management) has a specific law known as 

 The Recreation and Public Purposes Act, con- 

 cerning the sale of public domain lands, suit- 

 able for recreation, to state and local govern- 

 ment agencies and non-profit groups. The Fish 

 and Game Department, as the official state 

 recreation agency, is eligible under this law 

 to purchase a limited acreage and not to ex- 

 ceed three individual sites per year at a cost 

 of $2.50 per acre. The Federal Government re- 

 quires that any lands obtained under this law 

 be developed and managed for public rec- 

 reation. 



The Fish and Game Department has now 

 obtained six sites under this law and six more 

 applications have been submitted. Most of the 

 lands obtained have been either blocking in 

 existing game ranges or obtaining new fishing 

 access sites. The largest acreage of any one 

 application was 640 acres and most others 

 are under 100 acres in size. 



