Another wave in the works in Missoula’s Clark Fork River

Nothing, it seems, can stand between kayakers and memorials. A recent change in land use license exemptions that slapped a hefty price tag on Brennan’s Wave hasn’t washed out hopes of a new wave feature at Jacob’s Island.

Those involved in the project have dubbed the new wave “The Max” in memory of Max Lentz, a 17-year-old Missoula native who died kayaking the Gauley River in West Virginia in October 2007. Meetings concerning a memorial involved Lentz’s parents, his friends and the Brennan’s Wave Organization (BWO).

Trent Baker of the BWO says the project is still just “a concept in the minds of a couple people.” The group has yet to consult the Missoula Irrigation District, but is resoundingly optimistic about the project’s potential.

By: Alex Sakariassen

Full Story: http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=22620608-14D1-13A2-9FA7C88979B226A1

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Paying to paddle

By: Alex Sakariassen

Paul Callahan calls it a “curveball.” A recent change in laws governing riverbed and riverbank use in Montana has left Brennan’s Wave an unexpectedly expensive attraction.

The change, a result of litigation from a lawsuit last year, removed Brennan’s Wave from a land use license exemption. Now the Brennan’s Wave Organization (BWO), which Callahan helped establish, and project partner Orchard Homes Ditch Company, which legally holds the license, are responsible for a $3,825 annual check to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).

Full Story: http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=FEC2E630-14D1-13A2-9F53B12F78B27119