Protecting important wildlife habitat is essential for hunting and angling opportunity. Montana’s strong system of Wildlife Management Areas is a big reason we enjoy the longest hunting seasons in the West, as well as superb wildlife watching.
In cases, small parcels of private land within or next to our WMAs can have big impacts on wildlife. Lands that get developed within a WMA can fracture habitat, impede wildlife movement and ultimately detract from the quality of these areas. That’s the case with a couple parcels in the Fish Creek WMA west of Missoula, along tributaries of the Clark Fork River.
Recently Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks purposed purchasing these two parcels, using Habitat Montana funds and other matching sources. The Montana Wildlife Federation strongly supports this effort to keep these lands from being developed and maintain the quality of Fish Creek as both wildlife habitat and spawning grounds for fish. Read the MWF Fish Creek Aquisition letter of supportto learn more about this important issue.
As many as one-third of America’s wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the American Fisheries Society (AFS), and the Wildlife Society (TWS). NWF is America’s largest grassroots wildlife conservation organization, AFS is the professional association of fisheries scientists, and TWS represents thousands of wildlife scientists, managers, and educators.
“America’s wildlife are in crisis and now is the time for unprecedented on-the-ground collaboration,” said Collin O’Mara, president, and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates are all losing ground. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to prevent these species from vanishing from the earth.”
One-third of America’s wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction.
More than 150 U.S. species already have gone extinct.
Nearly 500 additional species have not been seen in recent decades and are regarded as possibly extinct.
But the news isn’t all bad. The report also describes how it is possible to prevent the further decline of America’s wildlife through concerted, collaborative efforts.
“Here in Montana, we know that we can prevent wildlife from becoming endangered by working together to protect and restore habitat,” said Dave Chadwick, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation.
Montana has numerous examples of successful species restoration efforts. In 2014, the Arctic Grayling in the Big Hole River was kept off the federal endangered species list thanks to collaborative efforts by conservationists and ranchers in the Big Hole Valley. The conservation efforts around the greater sage-grouse represent another success story in progress. In some cases, species have even been saved through interventions as simple as survey efforts that document their population status.
“Stopping the wildlife extinction crisis isn’t hard, it just requires a willingness to work together and put resources into conservation. Over the long run, preventing wildlife from declining will save money and help avoid political fights. Common ground is common sense.” said Chadwick.
Legislation currently pending in Congress would dramatically increase funding for preventing conservation efforts. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 4647) would increase funding for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ conservation efforts, providing about $29 million/year in new federal funds for the agency. H.R. 4647 currently has 38 cosponsors, including Democrats and Republicans from all over the country. Rep. Greg Gianforte is not yet a cosponsor of the bill.
This week, the Legislative Environmental Quality Council (EQC) met in Helena for two days to discuss a variety of issues. Montana Wildlife Federation staff attended the meeting to track issues and provide testimony on a panel to discuss wildlife policy and landowner relations.
EQC is the state committee that oversees Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) during the interim between Legislative Sessions. The agenda was packed with items for FWP, including the status of the aquatic invasive species program, an update on State Parks in Focus initiative and a proposed rewrite of state law on bird dog training.
MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock represented hunter and angler interests throughout the meeting. Gevock also took part in a panel to discuss wildlife policy and landowner relations, in particular how it relates to elk management. The agenda item was spurred by the issue of elk populations exceeding the established objectives in some areas of the state, shoulder seasons and how landowners and hunters can work together to achieve better outcomes.
MWF has a strong record of working to enhance Montana’s suite of programs to encourage public hunting access to private lands and through private lands to public lands. We also have worked on numerous bills to support landowners for providing wildlife habitat and resolve wildlife conflicts with farmers and ranchers in recent years, including livestock loss renewal, increasing the amount that landowners can receive for Block Management and renew the Unlocking State Lands tax credit, among others.
Hunters and landowners have long been solid partners to conserve wildlife in our state, and MWF will continue to be there to build on that working relationship to ensure better outcomes for wildlife, landowners and hunters and anglers.
The next EQC meeting is in will be in May, and MWF staff will be there to track the issues that matter to you. Follow MWF on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or sign up for our action alerts for more breaking news.
Senator Jon Tester introduced the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act in 2017
A poll of Montanans released today by the Montana Wildlife Federation shows continued strong support for the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project and collaborative efforts to protect wildlife habitat, recreational access, and timber jobs.
The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project was developed through more than decade of local discussions among conservation, recreation, and timber groups in the Seeley Lake area. The project provides for forest restoration activities to support local timber jobs, the development of additional recreational trails, and the designation of 79,000 acres of additional wilderness on public land adjacent to the existing wilderness areas of the Mission Mountain, Bob Marshall, and Scapegoat. Senator Jon Tester introduced the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (S. 507) in February 2017 to complete full implementation of the project.
The poll released today by the Montana Wildlife Federation found:
Montanans continue to support the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project, which would protect wildlife habitat, ensure access to public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreation, and support timber harvesting to create jobs and improve forest health. 68% support the project and only 27% oppose the project.
Support for the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project was consistent across party lines, with 79% of Democrats 63% of Republicans, and 63% of independents expressing support for the proposal.
Montanans are strong supporters of collaborative efforts likethe BCSPthat bring together different stakeholders to find common ground over public land management issues. 75% of Montanans say they would be more likely to support a forest management plan developed through a collaborative approach, versus only 10 percent who would be less likely.
Fully 85% of Montanans think that members of Congress should hold in-person town hall meetings to hear from the public about public land management issues.
“This poll shows that Montanans know that the best way to protect wildlife habitat, public access, and local economies is for stakeholders to roll up their sleeves and work together. Senator Jon Tester knows how important it is to listen to Montanans and carry their fight to Washington. Now we need the rest of our congressional delegation to follow his lead and get this proposal over the finish line,” said Dave Chadwick, the Montana Wildlife Federation’s executive director.
The strong support for the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project collaborative effort mirrors other polls over the last several years, which have shown consistently strong support among Montanans for the project.
This poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a national public opinion research firm. PPP surveyed 512 Montana voters from February 14-16, 2018. The margin of error is +/- 4.3%. This poll was conducted by automated telephone interviews.
Last week, Secretary Ryan Zinke deferred the oil and gas leases on 17,300 acres near Livingston and in the foothills of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, citing the cultural and economic significance of the surrounding area. Despite this positive step forward, oil and gas lease sales around the state marched forward today. The sale included one lease adjacent to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument which sold for $2/acre. Many other similarly cheap leases were squarely in the middle of crucial big game winter range and priority sage-grouse habitat.
Secretary Zinke, who has yet to hire a BLM Director, offered the public barely any opportunity to weigh in around today’s lease sales. While we were all heartened to see a few areas saved, it is irresponsible for the Secretary to unilaterally decide to protect some landscapes and endanger others with similar irreplaceable cultural and recreational resources, not to mention super big game and critical sage grouse habitat, as well as important water resources on a whim.
Future generations of Montanans deserve the same opportunities we’ve had to access and enjoy Central and Eastern Montana’s unique landscapes. This area is simply too important to be sold to the highest bidder for oil and gas drilling.Secretary Zinke must uphold the Department’s multiple-use mandate, and protect the cultural, recreational, water and wildlife resources that are critical to local communities and our outdoor heritage.
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.
