This Glacier National Park Home Isn’t Going Anywhere Now
The Amblers And Their Glacier National Park Property
A long legal fight between a California couple and the state of Montana appears to be finally resolved.
We’re talking about the Amblers and their attempt to build a home inside Glacier National Park.
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Private Land Ownership Inside A National Park
First off, it’s still kind of wild that you can even own private land inside a national park. But back in 2019, the Amblers bought about half an acre just west of Apgar Village along McDonald Creek.
Even though Glacier was established in 1910, some land on the west side near Lake McDonald has stayed privately owned all this time.
After buying the property, they checked on permits. Both the National Park Service and Flathead County said none were needed, and by 2023 they had a three-story home built along the creek.
That’s where things really took a turn, as reported by Montana Free Press.
Two Year Legal Battle Over Montana Streambed Law
After complaints from locals, the Flathead Conservation District reviewed the project and said it violated Montana’s stream protection laws.
That kicked off a two-year legal battle, and it looks like a ruling from April 17 may have settled it.
Ninth Circuit Court Ruling Sides With The Amblers
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with the Amblers, saying the Flathead Conservation District couldn’t use the Montana Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act of 1975 to force them to remove the home.
The reasoning goes back over a century. Montana handed over control of private inholdings inside Glacier to the federal government in 1911, and that control was accepted in 1914.
Here’s part of what the judges said in their ruling:
“In 1911, the State of Montana ceded jurisdiction to the United States over private inholdings within Glacier National Park, and the United States accepted that cession in 1914,” the judges wrote. “Accordingly, ‘federal authority became the only authority operating within the ceded area,’ including ‘privately owned lands within the described park boundaries.’ The United States has exclusive legislative jurisdiction over private inholdings within Glacier National Park, except to the extent that Montana reserved powers at the time of cession.”
So for now, it looks like the house is here to stay, closing the chapter on a case that’s been raising eyebrows across Montana.
Source: Montana Free Press
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