What’s Next for Holland Lake Lodge

A proposal for 32 new buildings at Holland Lake Lodge in the Flathead National Forest has triggered a public outcry. A gateway to the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the lodge sits on the border of recommended Wilderness along the Swan Range front. Grizzly bears, Canada lynx, and other wildlife depend on this area.

At the public meeting on October 4, more than 150 people attended in person and another 150 attended virtually. Many asked questions of the Forest Service and POWDR officials. POWDR claimed that the facilities would remain accessible to the public and there would be no ski lift construction, helicopter skiing operations, or use of motorized boats on the lake. However, questions about the proposal remain unanswered.

The current Forest Service special-use permit for Holland Lake Lodge limits the operations to a 10.53-acre area. However, POWDR’s proposal lists the acreage as 15, and with some necessary new wastewater facilities, the acreage could be even larger. At the October 4 meeting, the Flathead National Forest officials claimed they hadn’t noticed the discrepancy, and had made a mistake. The agency has since stated that if the project moves forward, it will likely be for a 15-acre area, and they will need to analyze the additional 4.47 acres.

On October 7, the public scoping comment period closed with more than 6,500 comments. An initial review of the online comments has shown that over 99% are in opposition. Wild Montana submitted comments on behalf of our members that explained our concerns about the lack of environmental analysis and the increasing amount of special-use permits and categorical exclusions used across the Flathead National Forest. Now, the Flathead National Forest project lead must read through all the public comments and address the major concerns.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged on this proposal by submitting comments, attending public meetings, and asking thoughtful questions of the Forest Service.

What’s next?

The Forest Service has not made an official decision for this expansion proposal, but they have confirmed there will be some environmental analysis and at least one more public comment period. It’s up to the Flathead National Forest Supervisor to decide whether to deny the proposal altogether, continue with the same proposal using a categorical exclusion, complete a full environmental assessment or impact statement, or look at potential development alternatives. Any type of environmental analysis the Forest undertakes will take at least a few months to complete. We will let you know when there’s a decision on the next steps for this proposal and how you can get involved.