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Contact: Melissa Wilson, 406 888-7895
WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Officials at Glacier National Park announce that an environmental assessment (EA) for a proposed cabin removal is available for public review. Comments are due by August 17, 2007. The Roberts Cabin was acquired by the National Park Service (NPS) in 1975 under the condition from the previous landowner that the structure would be removed. The Roberts Cabin is located on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald. At the time of acquisition, NPS policy was to purchase and remove non-historic structures in unique natural areas and restore those areas to a natural state. The cabin was leased by the previous owners for 25 years. The 25-year lease ended in 2000. The cabin had not been maintained because of the pending removal at the end of the 25-year lease. The cabin was not historic upon acquisition by the NPS in 1975 and it did not become eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places until the end of the 25-year lease period. In 2006, the park completed a determination of eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. NPS determined that the cabin was a building contributing to the significance of the Glacier Park Villa Sites Historic District. However, the park is proposing to remove the building to fulfill the original agreement with the previous owner and because removal of the cabin would reduce human development along the Lake McDonald lakeshore, increase natural lands for wildlife benefit, and eliminate a safety hazard presented by the structure’s poor condition. Removal would result in an adverse effect on an historic resource. The EA analyzes two alternatives. The no action alternative would allow the Roberts Cabin to continue to deteriorate after the removal of its rotting porch. The preferred alternative would remove the Roberts Cabin and return the site to its natural state. The resources that would be affected by the alternatives are historic structures and cultural landscapes, soils, vegetation, wildlife, threatened and endangered species, visitor use and experience, and health and safety. A copy of the EA can be obtained by visiting the park’s planning Web site at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkHome.cfm?parkId=61 and then selecting this project. A copy can also be obtained by writing the address below or calling 406-888-7978. Comments can be submitted via the same park planning Web site or write to: Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: Roberts Cabin Removal EA, West Glacier, Montana 59936. This EA will be on public review for 30 days. Please provide comments by August 17, 2007. - NPS -
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Last updated: February 24, 2015