MFWP Sportsman’s Bridge Fishing Access Site Disposal All Documents

Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Final EA available as of June 25, 2026.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Region 6 Office of Conservation Investment (OCI), is seeking public comment on a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the proposed disposal of 5.4 acres from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks’ (MFWP) Sportsman’s Bridge Fishing Access Site (SBFAS) in Flathead County, Montana. Funding for this project is administered through the OCI Program, therefore the action is subject to the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended.  

The SBFAS is located just north of Flathead Lake and immediately south of State Highway 82 where it crosses the Flathead River. The site provides public boating and fishing access. MFWP has requested approval to dispose of 5.4 acres of the SBFAS to allow the Montana Department of Transportation to expand the right-of-way for the planned widening of State Highway 82. 

The SBFAS was originally acquired in 1959 by MFWP, in part, with OCI grant funds to provide public access for fishing and boating on the Flathead River and Flathead Lake. The proposed disposal will not result in a net loss of public fishing and boating access. In 2024, MFWP acquired a replacement property on the west side of the river using state funds. The new site was federally encumbered in January 2025 to ensure activities remain consistent with the original award. MFWP has developed the new site to provide continued public fishing and boating access. 

The Draft EA, prepared by the Service in cooperation with MFWP, analyzes the potential environmental effects of the disposal and provides an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to review and comment on the proposed action. In the Draft EA, the Service determined the action would not have impacts to wetlands, floodplains, or farmland, would not affect historical and cultural resources, would not have any effect on threatened, endangered or candidate species, and would not have any effect on the vegetation in the area or on local fish and wildlife or their habitats.  

Public comments will be accepted for a 30-day period which ends June 7, 2026. Copies of the Draft EA and Appendices, which include details of the proposed action and the alternatives considered, are available online by clicking on the title of the document at https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/office-conservation-investment-nepa-documents. Comments will be accepted until June 7, 2026, and can be sent by email to: Jay Ogawa at jay_ogawa@fws.gov or via mail to: Office of Conservation Investment, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado, 80225.