Need for Public Comment: Deadline November 17th, 2023
Please consider filing comments in support of sustained ADA and public access. Public comments on the design plans are due by November 17th, 2023, before finalization in the spring. You are welcome to use our email template below and submit it to Sarah Beardsley at sarahb@bionom.com.
Background: Kilpatrick Bridge Update
- The County has funding to replace Kilpatrick Bridge. The bridge is structurally unsound
and needs replacement – full details here: (Project Plans and Timeline). - The County is seeking public comment on the project.
- Construction of the new bridge is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2025.
- The new bridge will be 108 ft by 28 ft, considerably larger than the existing structure.
- This will allow for pedestrian flow on the bridge as one car passes through,
increasing safety and ADA access. - The bridge will not have a center pylon in the stream, which will improve flow,
and the abutments will be considerably larger. - Existing public access points to Silver Creek must be shifted, including the back access to the s-turns, and the duck blind.
- The Save Silver Creek Alliance (SSCA) hopes to move the ADA access/fishing
platform downstream. - The Nature Conservancy is committed to improving the backside float tube
walk-in and duck blind access. - The existing parking area will get a new layout, and the bathroom will remain.
- The working group involved in construction – TNC, SSCA, Blaine County, Keller
Associates, and LHTAC – state they intend public access should remain available and
accessible in a similar manner as it is now, with shifting entry points.
Email & Public Comment Template:
Subject: Public Access in Kilpatrick Bridge Redesign
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing as a concerned community member regarding the proposed redesign and replacement of the Kilpatrick Bridge.
While I understand the need for bridge improvements, please design those improvements
in an manner that preserves the existing or equivalent public access upstream and downstream of the bridge via footpaths and float tubes.
Maintaining established public access points to the waterway is crucial. All users of the Silver Creek Preserve and Pond rely on this access for recreational and professional reasons. Before construction begins or plans are finalized, please ensure access is preserved in a manner equal to or better than it currently is during and after bridge construction.
I appreciate your time and consideration in addressing these concerns before finalizing the construction plans. Please provide clarity on how public access will be preserved and consider alternatives that balance the bridge and it’s functionality with minimal environmental impact.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
Volunteers and Staff from TU and the US Forest Service performed a stream enhancement project on Lake Creek this October 2015. The enhancement consisted of adding large woody debris in-stream to add fish habitat and assist with stream hydraulics. Volunteers moved log sections, secured them in-stream, and performed additional riparian enhancement work in 2014. In 2015 phase 2, took place over three days. Volunteers planted a variety of stream side vegetation that will provide, shade, habitat and stabilization to the habitat. Lots of digging through rocky soils presented a challenge but the volunteers were undaunted.
The Hemingway Chapter of Trout Unlimited has been partnering with The Wood River Land Trust since 2006 on this annual project. Each year we provide maintenance to the accesses and trails at Box Car Bend on the Big Wood River. 
One of the ongoing projects the Hemingway Chapter is involved in, is marking and maintaining access to the Big Wood river. We have been doing this for over a decade and Board Member Dave Spaulding, has been the lead on this effort. In 2011 we began posting fishing regulation and access signs in English and Spanish on almost all of the Big Wood river accesses. We continue to maintain the accesses clearing them of overgrowth and making them visible. This year we will again provide maintenance to these accesses and ensure regulation and access signs are posted. Usually the project is done by 4 to 6 people over several days. This year members of the TU Board gathered together to clear the access at the two Flying Heart access points. These two parking have been closed down by the homeowners association. Blaine County Commissioners, Silver Creek Outfitters and TU Hemingway Chapter are in the process of trying to resolve this issue. We parked just off of the highway and walked into the access sights and cleared the trail . We will be sending out notices of the dates for this project, once we have them scheduled. Volunteers are needed to participate in one day or all of them.
Each spring since 2017 the Hemingway Chapter supports and participates with a team in the ERC “clean sweep” of the Wood River Valley. Volunteers join together and clean up the river and banks along the Big Wood River at River Run access up and down stream. We have found and removed a chaise lounge , burnt up guitar, a muffler system and lots of beverage bottles and cans, road cones and general debris. Our team has won the “best spirit” award and “most unusual find” awards. This is a fun event and accomplishes our goal of protecting our rivers.