A proposed conservation easement located near Philipsburg would secure more than 1000 acres of public hunting access if approved by Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The Buxbaum-Boulder Creek Ranch easement, brokered by Five Valleys Land Trust, would protect 1,193 acres and allow hunting access in perpetuity. The ranch supports diverse wildlife habitat including important big game winter range as well as non-game species habitat, native grasslands, forested draws, pocket wetlands, and aspen stands.
The easement will be purchased using funds from the Montana Department of Justice Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Upon approval, the access portion of the easement would be transferred to FWP to administer hunting access. The proposed easement is adjacent to USFS lands.
MWF, Hellgate Hunters and Anglers, and Anaconda Sportsmen’s club wrote comments in support of the easement that will improve public hunting access and protect important wildlife habitat from development. Read the Letter of Support.
The 66th Montana Legislature convenes Monday and the Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) will be there with our dedicated staff and volunteers to stand up for our outdoor heritage. Check out the MWF bill tracker for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. MWF will put up every bill that affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, public access, scientific wildlife management, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park’s budget, and more.
MWF will keep a close eye on every bill and work diligently to keep Montana’s hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts well informed. Join the MWF Legislative Action Team to stay better informed and help push out information to fellow conservationists.
And don’t forget, the Rally for Public Lands is this Friday, Jan. 11. Join us to celebrate the incredible outdoor heritage our public lands offer.
For decades, the Montana Wildlife Federation has been a leading voice for protecting and enhancing our public wildlife, lands, and access at the Montana Legislature. The 68th Montana Legislative Assembly convenes on January 2nd and will be, as always, a busy one for issues that affect wildlife, habitat, and access for sportswomen and sportsmen, and recreationists. View the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. Check out the MWF 2023 Legislative Toolkit for best practices, tips, and additional information.
Billings residents who don’t shovel the snow on their sidewalks face an initial penalty of $300, then up to $500 per day thereafter until the sidewalk is cleared.
In Helena, if a resident’s lawn sprinklers shoot water onto the street or sidewalk “to the annoyance of passersby,” they can face a fine of up to $500.
But if someone gates a county road that leads to public land – and keeps the public from enjoying thousands of acres of their land – they face a fine of $10 per day under state law.
It’s ridiculous. In fact, it’s so low that nobody can find any examples in which it’s ever been levied.
The result: there are examples around the state in which people have put a gate across a county road and had exclusive access to vast swaths of National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and other federal and state public lands.
That in effect turns our public lands into private playgrounds. It keeps Montanans from enjoying hunting, angling, hiking, backpacking, wildlife watching, and so many other outdoor activities. It makes the areas of public land that are accessible that much more crowded. And it impedes wildlife management for state biologists, who need to spread out hunters and help spread out the wildlife in a way to get the needed harvest, keep them from zeroing in on private lands and damaging crops and fences, and prevent concentrations of wildlife.
The Montana Wildlife Federation last Legislative session brought a bill to increase the fine for gating a county road to up to $500 per day, with no minimum fine. This session, we plan to bring the bill back.
This bill would increase public access to public land, respects private property rights, and gives county attorneys a powerful tool to resolve gated county roads right away. It’s just good public policy.
The stiffer fine would serve as a strong deterrent to prevent roads from being gated in the first place. It’s similar to the fines for not shoveling snow. The goal isn’t to fine people – it’s to have the sidewalk cleared. The road fine would be the same thing. Montana’s hunters, anglers and outdoor recreationists don’t have an issue with landowners, but rather with lawbreakers, and this bill would go a long way toward improving public access to public land.
It’s long overdue.
Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.
Important bills are awaiting action to provide protection for important lands and waters in Montana. Two of the most crucial are the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act and the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.
The Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act would permanently block mining in the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, just outside Yellowstone National Park. The bill has strong support from residents and businesses in the Paradise Valley and across Montana and has the support of Senator Tester, Senator Daines, and Representative Gianforte.
The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act would add new wilderness lands in the headwaters above Seeley Lake while also supporting much-needed forest management activities and the development of more recreational trails. The bill is the product of more than a decade of local collaboration and enjoys strong local support, and it has been championed by Senator Tester.
Even with a number of contentious national priorities on the agenda, our elected officials should be able to move forward bills with such broad support. MWF will be working hard to make sure that the voice of Montana’s hunters, anglers, and other conservationists are heard in the final days of this Congress. And if anything does not pass before the end of December, we stand ready to raise these issues again in 2019.
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.
