Public Comment Period Opens for Lake McDonald Lodge Parking Project

Date: October 1, 2010
Contact: Amy Vanderbilt, 406 888-5838
Contact: Mary Riddle, 406 888-7898

WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Officials at Glacier National Park are seeking public comments on providing additional employee and visitor parking within the Lake McDonald Lodge developed area. A scoping newsletter is now available for public review and comment.

Inadequate parking for visitors, concession employees, and the Red Buses has long been an issue at the Lake McDonald Lodge developed area. The park's Final Commercial Services Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (FCSP/FEIS) of 2004 identified additional parking as one of several improvements within the vicinity of the lodge. The plan called for new parking but did not identify a specific location. Park staff has now identified two locations south of Snyder Creek, at previously disturbed sites.

Two existing parking areas at former dormitory sites would be redesigned to accommodate more vehicles. One would be west of the Lake McDonald Lodge Loop Road and would provide spaces for about 24 passenger cars. The other would be east of the loop road and would provide approximately 47-49 spaces for passenger cars and seven spaces for Red Buses. Red Buses and passenger cars would have separate designated parking.

The NPS does not find it necessary to do an environmental assessment for the project since the actions fall within the scope identified by the FCSP, and because the affected area was analyzed in the FEISand the floodplain Statement of Findings. The impact determinations have not changed as a result of the project design and no new information has been identified that would warrant further environmental analysis. The park is nonetheless conducting public scoping to determine if there are any new resource concerns that have not been considered.

The scoping newsletter is available through the park's planning Web site: https://parkplanning.nps.gov and comments can be made directly through this Web site. People may also write to: Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: Lake McDonald Lodge Parking, West Glacier, Montana 59936. No public meetings are scheduled at this time. Comments are due Monday, November 8, 2010.

- NPS -