As most of you know, MSU has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with
the Gallatin National Forest and the Beartooth Ranger District of the Custer
National Forest concerning the university's use of the forests for university
activities. The MOU requires that MSU provide certain advance notice of intended
use of the forest for a) educational activities for which the student will
receive credit; b) recreation activities or "courses" where no credit is
provided and c) other special uses that may involve ground disturbance, natural
resource consumption (e.g. cutting trees, removing artifacts) and/or development
or occupancy of a site (e.g., weather stations, stream monitoring stations,
communication sites and structures such as the "M". A description of each
category of use is found at http://www2.montana.edu/policy/forest_service_use/.
I coordinate the paperwork necessary to obtain the required permits.
If your department or program wishes to use the Gallatin National Forest and the Beartooth Ranger District of the Custer National Forest for educational or
recreation activities at any time during the year, please complete the Operating
Plan Form and return to me via email at dbilotti@montana.edu. The
Operating Plan is Exhibit B on the web Forest Service Use Policy. If your department or program wishes to use the forest for other
special uses, please contact my office to coordinate the permit process. I will
submit a master list of proposed uses to the Forest Service liaison once each
semester. The deadline dates for submission into my office have changed, they
are: May 15 for Fall Semester, January 15 for Spring, May 1 for Summer.
A few things to remember:
1. If you do not know the precise dates for use, you may
provide a range of dates. We are asked to report actual use to the Forest
Service each semester. For administrative purposes I will assume that the
activity took place on the day listed unless I hear otherwise from you.
2. You can assume you have received the permit once you
submit the information unless you are notified by me or a Forest Service
representative.
3. If your activity involves the use of developed sites
(campgrounds, rental cabins) for which there is a reservation required and/or
fee charged, you are advised to make arrangements for the use of the developed
site directly with the Forest Service office responsible for the site and submit
the information to me for the permit. Each department is responsible for its own
use fees for use of developed sites or other uses for which fees are
charged.
4. Departments are encouraged to locate their field trips
and activities outside of designated Wilderness (the Lee Metcalf and Absaroka
Beartooth). If a trip is Wilderness dependent in some way the Forest Service may
consider the request, but is likely not to approve most Wilderness requests for
trips-especially those that fall into the "recreational" category.
The federal regulations governing the U.S. Forest Service require that a
permit be issued before institutions may take groups into the forest. If your
department or program does not obtain a permit prior to the planned activity,
the Forest Service may deny access. We are hoping to work cooperatively with the
Forest Service to assure that we can maintain maximum access to the forests and
comply with the appropriate permitting regulations.
Please review the following Guidelines provided to us from Kimberly
Schlenker, Wilderness/Recreation Program Manager, Gallatin National Forest:
MSU Outfitter Guidelines/Tickler
List
August 18, 2003
The following topics need to be considered when people
prepare requests for institutional outfitting on the Gallatin and Custer
National Forests. These items represent a reminder list of possible conflicts
or areas where we won't be able to accommodate requests as submitted.
Wilderness trips are generally discouraged unless the
activity is somehow dependent on a Wilderness Resource. Requests for activities
within designated wilderness will be reviewed to see if there is an alternative
non-wilderness location which could be substituted. Wilderness trips that are
generally recreational in nature will not typically be approved.
All requests granted within wilderness must comply
with party size limitations specific to that area (15 people max per party, and
15-25 head of livestock depending on location).
All activities must comply with Forest travel
restrictions (e.g. motorized closures, big game winter range closures, etc.)
Requests to use any of the rental cabins on the Forest will
be entertained on a first come first serve basis by the applicable ranger
district, and will be assessed the normal rental fee regardless of the type of
activity (for credit course work or otherwise).
Certain areas of the Forest are already experiencing over
use problems, and requests for activities (particularly overnight use) in those
areas will likely be denied during peak use periods. The following short list
is not all inclusive but notes some problem areas: the Crazy Mountains on the
Big Timber Ranger District, portions of the Spanish Peaks unit of the Lee
Metcalf Wilderness, the Pine Ck. drainage on the Livingston Ranger District,
the Hilgard Basin in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, and certain portions of the
Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness on the Beartooth Ranger District.
Activities requested during spring break up wet
seasons which will contribute to road or trail damage may be postponed or
relocated to avoid resource damage.
All applicable laws, regulations, and special orders (e.g.
weed free feed, camping restrictions, etc.) apply.
Requests to use developed facilities such as campgrounds
will be evaluated and considered on a case-by-case basis. Where there is a fee
for use of those facilities - those fees will be paid in addition to any fee
associated with the special use permit.
The Gallatin NF will attempt to coordinate requests for
activities on neighboring Forests, but may not always be able to secure
approval.
