We, the property owners and residents of the Blankenship neighborhood, hereby request that the Blankenship Road Bridge/Flathead River gravel bar be closed to overnight camping and designated day use only. The risk of catastrophic wildfire emanating from illegal campfires and fireworks of overnight campers, as well as the difficulty of an effective response by a fire department to a wildfire, mandate this request. In addition, the overnight camping has resulted in large amounts of human waste washing into the Flathead River and Flathead Lake each spring. The current use of this Wild and Scenic River site for camping is a serious threat to our forest, homes, and properties. The Flathead National Forest should take responsibility and act by closing the gravel bar to overnight camping.

(photo credit: Chris Peterson/Hungry Horse News)