Projects
Status of Forest Projects
Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA)
You can view Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF SOPA reports in PDF or HTM formats, or you can search for other forest's SOPA reports on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge page at the SOPA web site.
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Current and Recent Projects
Note: Not all projects may appear on map. See list below for complete list of projects with more information or documentation.
Under Analysis
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3 Rivers Communications Melrose Exchange Fiber Optic Upgrade
3 Rivers Communications proposes to bury fiber optic cable along the shoulder of existing roads to replace the existng underground copper telephone wire near Melrose, MT. The project involves approximately 8,485 feet across Forest Service Lands.
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Beaverhead County Wise River Radio Site
Construction of underground power and fiber optic lines to the Wise River Radio Site. Installation of VHF antennae and associated equipment for enhancing 911 services for Beaverhead County.
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Beaverhead-Deerlodge Outfitter & Guide Permits
This analysis includes effects of 13 new priority permit holders currently operating under temporary or term permits and expansion of 10 established priority permits. It includes a pool of service days for consideration of potential future permits.
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Birch Creek Recreation Residence Special Use Permit
New owners propose to install a 1500 gal underground gray water storage tank, drill a new water well, and build a utility shed in the existing footprint of the special used permit for the residencde.
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Blackfoot Fiber Optic
Upgrading existing telecommunications lines to fiber optic. Includes issuance of a special use permit authorizing the installation, operation, and maintenance of 126,480 linear feet of fiber optic cable within a 10 ft. corridor.
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Bryant Creek Fish Barrier
We propose to construct a wooden fish barrier along Bryant Creek to expand and protect Westslope Cutthroat Trout habitat by 13 miles within the Bryant Creek watershed.
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Copper Creek Overflow Campground Upgrade
Installation of developed recreation site infrastructure including designating individual campsites, signs, hardened parking areas, picnic tables, toilets, and kiosks. The project area is currently being used as an overflow camping area.
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Gold Coin Wildlife Enhancement and Fuels Reduction
Prescribed fire over multiple years on approximately 1,200 acres of NFS lands. The prescription would include low to moderate fire intensity but allow for small patches of high severity in order to achieve a mosaic effect on the landscape.
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Greenhorn Vegetation Project
The proposed project is to help restore and maintain the structure, function, composition and ecological connectivity of the forest system in order to increase resiliency to future natural disturbance events like wildfire, insects, and disease.
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Haase Private Road Special Use Permit
Issuance of a private road special use permit authorizing the holder to use an existing road (UR8-265) to access a private inholding year-round. The permit would also authorize operation and maintenance of the road--a total of 751 ft.--on NFS lands.
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Hawk Plan of Operations
Exploration for minerals on unpatented mining claims including digging 5 test pits measuring 20ft x 50ft long to bedrock with an excavator. Access to the site would be via cross-country travel and include removal of trees to open 14' x 450' corridor.
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NFS Road No. 1589 Reconstruction and Reroute
The proposed action is to reroute 2 segments of NFS Road 1589, which is the only motorized access to Maywood Ridge. Activities include moving the existing road out of the bottom of the draw, increasing curve radius on a switchback, and a new culvert.
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NFS Road No. 5165 (Girard Road) Reroute
NFS Road 5165 is a native surface road composed of decomposed granitic soils that are highly erosive. Three sections exceed FS specifications for maximum grade. Reroute these segments would decrease gradients from 14-17% to an average of 6% slope.
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Pintler District Trail Reroutes
Portions of the Foster Cr. and Twin Lakes Trails (No. 8045 and 8044) do not meet FS standards for width and grade. 2,100 ft. of reroutes on 3 segments would be done for Twin Lakes Trail and 3,000 ft. of reroutes on 5 segments of Foster Creek Trail.
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Powder Gulch Quarry Expansion
The Madison District proposes to expand the existing Powder Gulch Gravel Pit by 5 acres for Forest Service and Madison County road maintenance in the Ruby River and neighboring drainages.
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Spaeth's Corner Commercial Thinning
Treatment of 70 ac. of NFS lands via commercial thinning of overstocked stands. Thinning would occur in areas with a target basal area of approx. 40 to 80 sq. ft. per acre and implemented through mechanical harvest. UR8-416A would be decommissioned.
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Strawberry to Cascade Allotment Management Plan
Revise as necessary grazing management on the Barnett, Black Butte, Coal Creek, Cottonwood, Fossil, Hellroaring, Lyon, Wolverine, Poison Basin and portions of the Upper Ruby allotments in the Gravelly Mountains.
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Trail Creek Fire Salvage
Salvage dead and dying trees on no more than 250 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (BDNF) just north of MT Hwy 43 within the Trail Creek Fire perimeter.
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Vigilante Electric Cooperative Special Use Permit.
Vigilante Electric proposes to rebuild an existing 69kV overhead transmission line. The new overhead transmission line runs across approximately 4,224 feet of NFS lands in a 50 foot wide corridor.
Analysis Completed
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2022 B-D Commercial & Personal Use Mushroom Permits and Camps
Permits for 2022 commercial mushroom harvesting and designated camp areas for commercial harvesters for resource protection and sanitation.
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BDNF Aspen Project
Increase aspen component in places where assessment indicates a need and conditions are favorable to support aspen using a variety of treatments.
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East Pioneer Watershed Project
Proposal includes 900 acres of treatment on Forest Service land to reduce conifer encroachment in sagebrush/grasslands using chainsaws and prescribed fire. Treatment areas include Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Dillon Field Office lands
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Pintler Face
Purpose is to achieve Forest Plan Goals including timber management, aquatic improvement, wildlife habitat improvement. Proposed activities include commercial timber harvest, travel management, and reduction of conifer encroachment in sagebrush.
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Rancho Deluxe Vegetation Project
The proposed action would conduct vegetation management activities to promote resilience to insects and disease. Treatments would include timber harvest and removal of conifer encroachment from aspen stands.
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Tendoy Project
The BLM Dillon Field Office and Dillon Ranger District are starting the Environmental Assessment(EA) on Applications for Permit to Drill, submitted by the Lima Exploration Company, LLC.
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Upper Willow Creek
Removal of dead, dying, structurally weakened, infested and/or infected, and at-risk adjacent live trees on up to 250 acres on 12 units through the use of mechanical harvest and ground-based skidding adjacent to County Road No. 88 and private land.
On Hold
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Selway Saginaw Vegetation Management Project
Project to move conditions toward Forest Plan Timber, Vegetation, and Fuel Management Goals and Objectives using commercial timber harvest, precommercial thinning, and conifer expansion treatments.
Cancelled
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Moulton Cross Country Ski Trail Grooming
This project would permit continued maintenance and grooming of about 15 kilometers (9 miles) of non-motorized trails for cross country skiing from December 1st through March depending on conditions.
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Nelson Water Pipeline Special Use Permit
This project is a proposal to issue a special use permit to allow connection of a pipeline to the overflow of a water trough on NFS lands and install approximately 2000 feet of subsurface line to water livestock on adjacent private land.
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South Gravelly Allotment Management Plans
Review grazing practices and infrastructure for 4 domestic livestock grazing allotments (Eureka Basin, Pole Creek, Southwest Corner and Robb Creek)to ensure compliance with applicable Forest Plan direction.
Project Archive
Some of our older projects can be accessed in our Project Archive.