Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks released a recreation strategy this week for its lands in the Fish Creek Watershed in Mineral County, approximately 40 miles west of Missoula. The final strategy is a result of a public planning process that began in 2022.

To see the Fish Creek Recreation Strategy, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/fish-creek-watershed-recreation-planning. The goal of the effort was to create a comprehensive framework for managing recreational use on FWP managed lands in the Fish Creek Watershed, including Fish Creek State Park, Fish Creek Wildlife Management Area, and Big Pine and Forks Fishing Access Sites.

The Fish Creek area is home to important fish and wildlife habitat, historic and cultural resources, local communities and private landowners, and unique opportunities for outdoor recreation.

FWP launched the Fish Creek planning process in the summer of 2022, with the guidance of the University of Montana and Global Park Solutions. The planning team worked with Mineral County, the local community, and many stakeholders to take a comprehensive look at managing recreation on FWP lands in the Fish Creek area. To gather ideas, the planning team hosted stakeholder meetings, an online public survey, and public meetings.

Following the release of the draft strategy in September 2023, FWP spent more time working with stakeholders to better understand the range of interests and perspectives regarding recreation in the Fish Creek area and used this input to refine the strategy over the next year.

The strategy does not lay out specific management actions for these areas but instead provides general guidance. Implementation of many next steps would require more planning and review.

Although the strategy is specific to FWP lands, the team worked closely with other public land managers in the area, including the Montana Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service in developing the draft.

“This strategy is an important first step for any future efforts to manage the diverse recreation needs in the Fish Creek Watershed,” said FWP regional supervisor Kendra McKlosky.

FWP will continue to work with the public and other partners as the strategy prompts specific planning efforts and on-the-ground management considerations.