This analysis will be qualitative rather than quantitative due to the lack of accurate data on recreational use of school trust lands. The analysis area will vary depending on the type of effect being discussed. School trust land in Section 33 and 28, T31N, R22W, will be the subject of the direct effect analysis. Indirect effects and cumulative effects will be considered on the school trust lands in the South Beaver Lake and Skyles Lake areas. The school trust lands between Skyles Lake and Beaver Lake receive year-round recreational use.
Users range from hunters, skiers, berry pickers, and horseback riders to vehicle drivers.
Recreational use of all lands, private and public, is increasing steadily in Flathead Valley. The main Skyles Lake Road is privately owned. Neither DNRC nor the general public has the legal right to use Skyles Lake Road to access State land in Section 33. Historically, the road has been used to connect the Skyles Lake and Beaver Lake areas. Currently, only adjacent landowners and those who walk from the highway through State land in Section 34 have legal access to the State land in Section 33.