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Hunters Score Responding Access Victory in Bitterroot

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The Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association and Public Land and Water Access Association (PLWA) scored a major victory in the Montana Supreme Court this week with a ruling to permanently reopen Hughes Creek Road in the Bitterroot Valley.

TurkeyHunt 5 Landowners had blocked the road that leads into the Bitterroot National Forest near Hughes Creek for over three decades. But several years ago Ravalli County commissioners determined the evidence was clear the route is public and ordered the gates taken down. A District Court judge agreed with the county after the landowners challenged the decision in court. Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association pushed the case and received help from PLWA.

But the landowners again challenged the decision by taking it to the Montana Supreme Court, and in the meantime kept the gate locked. This week’s ruling ends the dispute and will permanently restore public access to the National Forest.

Congrats to the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, PLWA and all hunters in the Bitterroot.

Celebrating Conservation and Access

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Horsecreek Nick 2Hunters from the Glendive area gathered to celebrate 20,000 acres of new public hunting access through the Horse Creek Complex conservation easement.

A crowd packed the Cross Country Brewing Company in Glendive to thank the Stenson family for the project, which protects more than 15,000 acres of their cattle ranch near Wibaux. Taken together with the adjoining public lands, the project opens up nearly 20,000 acres that offer prime hunting opportunity for mule deer, antelope, and upland birds.

Conservation easements are one of our most important private land tools to preserve valuable habitat. They restrict subdivision and housing development while allowing a landowner to continue to raise crops or livestock. In addition, easements held by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks include a public hunting access component.

Horse Creek was needlessly held up for months by state Land Board members Matt Rosendale, Corey Stapleton and Elsie Arntzen, but was ultimately approved last month when Gov. Steve Bullock determined that easements do not require board approval. The project was unanimously supported by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Horse Creek was paid for with Habitat Montana dollars. The program uses a small portion of hunting license fees to fund targeted land purchases, conservation easements, and fishing access sites. It has a tremendous record of success in conserving key wildlife habitat and opening more lands to public hunting. The project drew broad support from hunting and conservation groups including the Montana Wildlife Federation, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Montana Mule Deer Foundation, Montana Bowhunters Association, Montana Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, Montana Trout Unlimited, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Wildlife Federation and the Montana Sportsman’s Alliance.

Keep It Public: Conservation Camp Out

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IMG 0555 Last weekend, the Montana Wildlife Federation had the privilege to work with Keep It Public on their Conservation Camp Out on the Charles M. Russell (CMR) Wildlife Refuge. Conservationists from around the state met in Haxby, MT to remove old fence. Unfortunately, budget cuts to the CMR Refuge had to close the local field office in charge of this area. The Keep It Public workday focused on removing dilapidated fence and old abandoned farm equipment.

The specific parcel, once a private inholding, became public via the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). America’s most important conservation and recreation program, LWCF has saved places in nearly every state and every county in the U.S. LWCF will expire on September 30, 2018, without action from Congress.  MWF and Keep It Public are working hard to get LWCF fully funded before the program expires. Montana’s hunters, anglers, and wildlife are depending on it.

Horse Creek Project Prevails Over Delays by Anti-Access Politicians

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Juniper and grasslands stretch out over the Horse Creek Easement The Montana Wildlife Federation commends the completion of the Horse Creek Complex conservation easement near Wibaux after two years of diligent work by the Stenson family and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. MWF thanks Gov. Steve Bullock for finalizing this easement, which permanently protects 15,000 acres of working ranchland while also guaranteeing public hunting access to nearly 20,000 acres of private and public land in perpetuity.

“It’s unfortunate that it took this long, but we’re glad Gov. Bullock, his staff, and Montana FWP got this deal done,” said Nick Gevock, MWF conservation director. “It’s vital that we continue to move forward with quality Habitat Montana projects that maintain our ranching economy, protect important wildlife habitat and open up hunting access to private lands. Montana’s hunters are extremely lucky to have such great partners like the Stenson family who generously open up their land for quality hunting opportunity.”

The Horse Creek Easement came before the State Land Board in February after unanimous approval by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. State Auditor Matt Rosendale, State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, and Secretary of State Corey Stapleton forced the Land Board to indefinitely delay the project, despite widespread public support and the landowners’ wishes.

After legal review, the Governor’s office determined that the Land Board’s approval isn’t required for these conservation easements, just as no other easement in state statute is required to go before the Land Board.

The Horse Creek doubles the acreage of land in Wibaux County that is open to public hunting and protects some of the best mule deer hunting in eastern Montana.

Wildlife Federations Urge Congress to Nix Controversial Public Lands Bills

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Big Hole Moose Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte is sponsoring H.R. 5148 and H.R. 5149, which together would release more than 800,000 acres from Wilderness Study Area protection. The lands are managed to protect their wilderness characteristics until it’s decided to whether to approve an official designation. Stone-Manning, the National Wildlife Federation’s associate vice president for public lands, will testify in a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing on the bills this Thursday.

Stone-Manning said:  “In Montana, our love for our public lands brings people of all stripes together to find solutions to the thorny issues, but in this case, Rep. Gianforte has short-circuited the process and cut out the public. These bills strip protections from public lands that contain exceptional wildlife habitat and clean water that supplies water for both our communities and world-class trout streams. The lands support hunting, fishing, and recreation that contribute to the state’s $7 billion outdoor recreation economy. Congress should step back until a community-driven solution can be put forward, based on the values Montanans share and what makes sense on the ground.” Here is Stone-Manning’s written testimony.

Dave Chadwick, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation, added “All over Montana, people are rolling up their sleeves and working together to develop local plans to designate some areas as wilderness while setting aside other lands for other uses.  Rep. Gianforte’s bills are not resolving the question of what to do about wilderness study areas, they are blowing up the local conversations underway to resolve that question.”

A poll by the Montana Wildlife Federation earlier this year found that 75% of Montanans are more likely to support forest management plans developed through local collaboration by conservationists, snowmobilers, loggers, hunters, landowners, local businesses, and other stakeholders.

The House Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing starts at 10 a.m. ET, 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

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.