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Political Extremists Threaten Our Public Lands, Democratic Values

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A greater sandhill crane feeds in the wetlands at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. More than 200 pairs of sandhills nest on the refuge each year. They begin arriving in Feburary/March and are reclusive when they begin nesting. But they can be seen in their nesting territories from late June until the crane colts fledge in September. Credit: Roger Baker A greater sandhill crane feeds in the wetlands at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Roger Baker USFWS

For the last several days, a group of armed extremists has been illegally occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. They have said they won’t leave until the Refuge and other public lands are handed over to private interests.

In an effort to justify their actions, the Malheur occupiers are espousing a political agenda to take over all wildlife refuges, national forests, and other public lands, transfer them to local control, and privatize them. The group’s leaders – who are not from the local community – have taken every opportunity to get in front of the TV cameras, repeat their complaints about public land management, and issue their demand that public lands be taken out of public hands (while also calling for the delivery of snacks and hot meals).

We’ve heard the same anti-public land rhetoric here in Montana. Over the last few years, a handful of politicians have been pushing an agenda to take over our national forests and other public lands. The overwhelming majority of Montanans oppose this idea, and the Montana Legislature has so far rejected every single bill to transfer public lands to state or local control. Montanans know that this extremist agenda will reduce public access, ruin wildlife habitat, and expose our public lands to more private development.

Unfortunately, the anti-public land crowd can’t seem to accept a fair defeat in the court of public opinion. It is one thing to advocate for your agenda in the democratic process, it is quite another to invade public lands, hold a local community hostage, and make threats of armed violence. Proponents of the public land transfer can’t stick their heads in the sand and pretend like their rhetoric isn’t fueling this criminal behavior.

The takeover of a national wildlife refuge is a particular slap in the face to America’s hunters. For 80 years, waterfowl hunters have been required to purchase a Duck Stamp, which helps fund the protection of wildlife refuge lands – and hunters have strongly supported the program from the outset. Now, America’s hunters are forced to watch a group of armed, anti-government trespassers occupy the very lands that they’ve helped protect.

Law enforcement officials are working to resolve the situation. All Americans are hopeful for a peaceful resolution that reopens the wildlife refuge and restores order to the local community. The individuals responsible for the occupation need to be held legally responsible for their actions. And the radical politicians calling for the wholesale transfer of public land need to recognize their own responsibility for fueling this undemocratic, criminal behavior. The anti-public land and anti-government rhetoric has to stop.

Dave Chadwick is the executive director of Montana Wildlife Federation.

Changes to Montana’s Hunting Season dates and regulations have been proposed. Hunters, now is the time to let your voice be heard.

Montana sportsmen: Utah lawmaker threatens the future of hunting and fishing

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mountain lake

HELENA MT – Montana sportsmen say a proposal by a Utah Rep. Rob Bishop to gut the 50-year-old Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) would be a disaster for the future of hunting and fishing and virtually end America’s most effective tool for conserving habitat and public access.

The Utah Republican today unveiled a first look at his plans to upend the program in the House Natural Resources Committee. Among other things, Bishop’s plan would drastically divert historic funding away from projects that seek to conserve wildlife habitat and expand public access to hunt and fish.

Since 1965, the Land & Water Conservation Fund has helped conserve habitat and open up access across Montana and the rest of the United States. For example, more than half of fishing access sites in Montana were paid for with help from LWCF.

Montanans were quick to condemn Bishop’s move.

“The Land & Water Conservation Fund works for Montanans and all Americans. To say it needs ‘reform’ is an insult to its 50-year track record of success,” said Hannah Ryan, co-chair of the Montana Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “This legislation should be seen what it is: an ideologically driven effort to torpedo America’s most successful conservation and access program.”

“All we need is full funding for LWCF,” said Kathy Hadley, President of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “Reform is just a diversion to run the clock down on the program. At best, it means taking funding away from America’s outdoor families. At worst, it means killing LWCF completely.”

Montana’s entire Congressional Delegation is on the record supporting LWCF, following a hard-fought effort to reauthorize it at the end of the 2015 fiscal year in September. Rep. Bishop was among those who held up reauthorizing the 50-year-old program.

LWCF, which enjoys bipartisan support and relies on offshore oil leases and not taxpayer funding, has invested in everything from playgrounds, swimming pools, and local parks. In Montana, LWCF is responsible for recently opening up public access to the famed Tenderfoot Creek in the Lewis and Clark National Forest and helped pay for most of the state’s fishing access sites, statewide.

“If you are a hunter or angler in Montana, you’ve used an access point purchased through LWCF,” said Jim Vashro a retired Fish, Wildlife, and Parks fisheries biologist and President of Flathead Wildlife in Kalispell, MT. “The program doesn’t need reform, it just needs reauthorization and full funding.”

Although the program isn’t currently authorized, stakeholders are still hopeful for a year-end fix. They don’t see any path forward for Rep. Bishop’s current vision.

“Montana has long been a leader in the effort to fund and reauthorize LWCF,” said Glenn Marx, Executive Director of the Montana Association of Land Trusts. “We will not let attacks on the program distract us from moving forward.”

 

The Montana Wildlife Federation depends on your support to keep up the fight for public access, public wildlife, and public land.  Donate today.

MWF Recognizes Conservation Champions

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Every year, the Montana Wildlife Federation takes time at our Annual Meeting to recognize the contributions of individuals who have done outstanding work on behalf of wildlife and conservation.   At our 2015 meeting, we recognized three leaders for their efforts.

Representative Tom Jacobson from Great Falls and Representative Jeff Wellborn from Dillion were jointly recognized as MWF’s Legislator(s) of the Year.

Hailing from House District 21, Representative Jacobson has been a tireless champion for wildlife, habitat, and public access since his election in 2012.  During the 2015 Legislative Session, Jacobson led the charge for public access, including MWF’s bill to keep open disputed public roads to public land.  Jacobson was also a tireless defender of science-based wildlife management and habitat protection.

Representative Wellborn represents House District 72 in Southwestern Montana.  During the 2014 Interim Session, Wellborn served on the Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) License and Funding Advisory Council.  In 2015, he introduced a bill (HB 140) to implement the group’s recommendations and shepherded those recommendations through the legislative process.  As a result of Wellborn’s hard work to build bipartisan support, Montana’s hunting and fishing licenses have been simplified dramatically while also putting FWP on a path to financial sustainability.  Wellborn has also been a reliable supporter of a number of other common-sense habitat protection and wildlife management bills.

Carol Fox of Helena was awarded the Les Pengelly Conservation Professional Award.  This award is given to a state, federal, or local conservation professional who provided the most significant conservation achievement in Montana for the previous year.

Fox retired in 2014 from a 30-year career as an environmental manager with the State of Montana.  Beginning in 2000, Fox led the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program, which used funds from legal settlements associated with mine cleanup to pay for habitat restoration and remediation.  Of her many accomplishments, Fox’s work in the Upper Clark Fork River basin was of particular significance to Montana’s hunters and anglers.  She worked with diverse local interests to direct funds at priority restoration needs, helping revive one of Montana’s most iconic rivers.

Montana sportsmen support sage-grouse conservation

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Nov. 19, 2014 – A new poll shows that Montana sportsmen and women want to protect greater sage-grouse habitat because protecting the sagebrush landscape will protect hunting opportunities and other uses of the public lands.

The findings released Wednesday by the National Wildlife Federation show that more than 90 percent of Montana hunters surveyed believe it’s important to protect the bird’s habitat. They were among a majority of hunters surveyed in 11 Western states who back plans to conserve important habitat to maintain state management of the greater sage-grouse and avoid the restrictions that would follow if it’s declared an endangered species.

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MWF Report outlines efforts to keep the public out of public lands and waters

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Montanans are increasingly being kept out of their public lands by people gating public roads through private land, a new report titled “Roadblocked and Landlocked” has found.

The joint Montana Wildlife Federation and Public Land/Water Access Association report details the growing trend of gated public roads that has cost hunters, anglers and all outdoor recreationists access to tens of thousands of acres of their public national forests, grasslands and rivers.

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Jeff Lukas – MWF Elk Campaign Manager

Jeff Lukas

Elk Campaign Manager

Jeff Lukas is a passionate conservationist who has been fishing and hunting his entire life. Whether it’s floating a small stream chasing trout, pursuing elk in the high country, or waiting in a blind for ducks to set their wings, Jeff is always trying to bring more people afield to show them what we are trying to protect. He loves being in the arena, and he will never shy away from conversations about the beautiful and unique corners of Big Sky country.