Holland Lake Lodge expansion proposal meets resistance

SWAN VALLEY – Expansion plans for Holland Lake Lodge (HLL) were met with opposition from locals at the recent scoping open house held at the lodge Sept. 8. Over 100 area residents and users of Holland Lake expressed concern regarding change, increased traffic and potential environmental impacts to the area.

Representatives of the Flathead National Forest along with representatives of POWDR and Christian Wohlfiel, Holland Lake Lodge (HLL) owner, meet with public members to present information regarding the Holland Lake Lodge expansion Master Development Plan (MDP).

The open house was an opportunity for POWDR and HLL to share the proposal during the public scoping period and listened to public comment.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a process used by federal agencies to evaluate the direct, indirect and reasonably foreseeable environmental effects of a permit decision. Private entities can be required to pay for the analysis conducted but the agency remains responsible for the scope and accuracy of the analysis.

Although NEPA encourages public comment on a project to assist with analysis, it is important to understand that commenting on a proposal is not a vote per information on the Forest Service website.

Some present at the Open House expressed concerns that a decision was already made due to the term "categorical exclusion" being used. According to the Forest Service website, a categorical exclusion is still a decision document. It just requires less detailed analysis because the effects are already known.

"All those standard processes are still there," said Chris Dowling, Swan Lake District Ranger. "They are still required."

While Kurt Steele, Flathead National Forest Supervisor, said that a categorical exclusion can make the process more efficient, "I've heard loud and clear, we'll likely have some more public engagement."

In the case of Holland Lake, a review of the historical portion of the MDP refers to previous development plans which were approved but not implemented due to lack of funds.

The current proposed expansion would provide overnight accommodations for up to 156 guests including the Bob Marshall Lodge with 28 rooms, 10 lake cabins and 16 smaller studio cabins. There would also be a new Welcome Center built and a Mission Mountains Restaurant, constructed adjacent to the Old Lodge, with indoor seating capacity up to 100 guests and outdoor seating for 30.

Also proposed is to build a new watersport building, maintenance building and employee housing for up to 12 employees. There will also be five recreational vehicle spaces, equipped with electrical and sewer hookups, for employees.

The expansion changes the footprint of the existing structures maintained within the 15-acre permit area from approximately 11,000 square feet to just over 23,000 square feet, a net change in square feet of usable space of just over 12,000. Approximately 5,000 square feet of existing structures would be removed along with some trees for new construction.

The proposal also includes parking area for 126 vehicles, six EV spaces and four disabled parking spots. Fifty-three spaces will be for registered guests with 53 for general day use guests, 15 spots for employees with five RV spots for employees.

Most everyone present agreed the current facilities required attention. The current "old" lodge building is badly in need of exterior repairs to prevent further deterioration, per information from the MDP. Vestibules have been added to the entryways to help keep the weather out, these add-ons were afterthoughts lacking foundations and are badly out of plumb.

The goal with the exterior of the building is to perform enough maintenance to prevent it from being permanently lost to the elements. Proposed improvements include repainting and re-chinking the logs, replacing the metal roof and replacing the vestibules with redesigned entryways.

The MDP acknowledges that Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act does not apply to the interior of the old lodge because the building is private property not owned by the federal government. The goal with the interior of the building is to remove the old kitchen (for fire safety and practicality) and expand the old bar. The interior design and finishes will remain substantially the same except rather than guest rooms upstairs, it will be repurposed as office and storage space.

The group questioned the need to remove trees. One commenter suggested that the proposed construction remain hidden behind the trees so that users of the lake don't see the facilities.

Others visited with Wildlife Biologist Katie Mally of Swan Lake Ranger District regarding concerns about the loons and bear activity in the area.

"Holland is a really unique place for the loons because loons don't typically enjoy motorized lakes," Mally said. "Even if that's non-motorized, often what happens is people will paddle up close to them with their kayak or paddleboard, out of curiosity. This is a very highly used recreation lake. That trail gets a lot of recreation use, and the loon nest right by the trail. They had not nested in the area for over a decade prior to three years ago. I think they got two chicks off in the last three years."

A member of the audience added there was a chick born this year.

Mally said that there is high bear activity in the area. She advised the public that the Forest Service has seen facilities such as those proposed by POWDR assist with education. As people check in, they can be provided with material and information about how to hike safely in the area to reduce bear and other wildlife conflict.

The same goes for the rental of equipment such as paddle boards, kayaks and canoes. Those handing out equipment can advise users not to paddle up close to the waterfowl causing distress, Mally said. Proposed expansion of the East Holland Lake Connector Trailhead would include expanding the parking area up to three acres to provide for additional vehicles with barriers placed to designate the parking area. Hitching rails would be installed to accommodate pack and stock users. 

In the MDP it states bear and vermin proof garbage and recycling containers will be located around the property. These receptacles will be emptied daily by maintenance staff and brought to a rubbish collection area adjacent to the maintenance building. This rubbish area will be made bear proof either with a fence and gate or bear proof dumpsters. Rubbish will be picked up on a weekly basis with additional dates scheduled for larger events or high-volume months.

Upgrades to current water and sewer lines are proposed along with burying the electrical and data lines.

The current wastewater treatment facility was built in 1970 and upgraded in 2001 with 8,000 gallons of septic tank storage, a 115,000-gallon aerated lagoon and 424,000-gallon winter storage as stated in the MDP. The flow data provided by the USFS since 2009 shows less flow has entered the treatment lagoon that what the system was designed to hold.

In the proposal, the system would continue to be closely monitored with maintenance and upgrade responsibilities shared by USFS and POWDR. The wastewater system is used by the HLL and campground.

Brian Stewart, Vice President of Recreation for POWDR, stated if the Forest Service approves the MDP, then the process to obtain construction permits such as building, septic, etc. will begin. The MDP is the first step toward development.

Wohlfiel spent much of the evening visiting with concerned citizens and letting them know that he has had potential buyers in the past.

"I have been trying to sell this permit for quite a while," Wohlfiel said. "Other buyers that I was under contract with or people that made offers, were actually looking to exclude people, locals and the public. Brian [POWDR] and the people he works with, from day one have been phenomenal to work with, from my perspective. They seek not to exclude but actually want more services and more capacity for guests to come in. Whether that's people from Seeley or people from out of state. You know, the idea is to share to have more people be able to be here."

As the Open House was winding down, Dowling and Steele suggested another meeting should be held in Seeley Lake to present information and gather more comment. A date and location for this meeting has not been set at press time.

For more information and to comment on the proposal visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=61746. Comments on the proposal will be accepted until Sept. 21. Public comment regarding the impacts that would be felt from the expansion will assist the Forest Service in determining the level of NEPA analysis.