HELENA – After a three-day workshop in October and a follow-up meeting earlier this month, the River Recreation Advisory Council (RRAC) submitted recommendations to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for managing river recreation and administering the use of water-related activities.

With an increase in river recreationists, user conflicts and access-point congestion have become more frequent. The council members, who were selected by FWP Director Dustin Temple, were tasked with addressing these challenges by developing a set of recommendations for managing river recreation.

The council recommends that FWP develop a statewide river recreation management plan to reflect the current situation. This would include incorporating existing rules, the River Recreation Management Planning Manual, and current river management plans; providing guidance on how to manage rivers; devising a data collection framework; identifying river use and types; and hiring additional personnel to meet management needs.

The council also developed a set of questions that would help FWP decide if a particular river or stretch or river needs to go through a full-scale planning process. These questions would identify the type and severity of an issue, determine if enough data is available or still needs to be collected, and whether the river or stretch of river has ever been reviewed for recreational conditions and concerns. Depending on the answers to these types of questions, FWP would decide if a recommendation should be offered to the Fish and Wildlife Commission to initiate the planning process.

An opportunity for public comment will be open until Dec. 23. To review the recommendations and to comment, go to fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission-councils-committees/river-recreation-advisory-council.