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Study Shows Backcountry Hunting Boosts Economy In Fergus and Petroleum Counties

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Lewistown, MT – Expenditures from hunting contribute significantly and sustainably to local economies, according to a new study released today by Headwater Economics, an independent, nonpartisan research group.

According to the study, big game hunting in 2015 accounted for nearly $4 million in economic expenditures in four different Fergus and Petroleum County hunting districts, with $3.8 million coming from elk hunting alone. Most of the expenditures by hunters were from HD 410, in Petroleum County, home to some of the larger blocks of prime roadless habitat on BLM land.

All four of the hunting districts include lands the BLM will address in the Resource Management Plan (RMP) the agency is currently working on for the Lewistown Field Office. The RMP will guide how the BLM manages these lands for the next 20 to 30 years. Local hunters, business owners, and conservationists are urging the BLM to keep certain places managed by the Lewistown office as they are, to ensure they remain productive wildlife habitat and a strong contributor to local economies.

“Hunters are filling up at our gas stations, eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, and they’re buying guns, ammunition and gear from my store,” says Charlie Pfau, owner of Don’s Store, a sporting goods store in Lewistown. “Like many businesses in our small town, mine largely depends on the public lands right in our backyard, which offers some of the best big game hunting you can find in the U.S.”

The four hunting districts include the Chain Buttes, Horse Camp Trail, and Dovetail Creek areas. Local hunters, business owners, and conservationists are asking the BLM to retain the wild character of these lands by prohibiting development, road proliferation, and resource extraction in these areas, as well as in Blood Creek, Arrow Creek, and Carter Coulee to ensure they too continue to be secure habitat for big game.

“These areas represent some of the most productive ungulate habitat anywhere in North America, and that’s because these areas are largely roadless and undeveloped,” says Bill Berg, a career employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and former deputy superintendent of the Charlie M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. “If we want to continue having big game populations that are this healthy, we need to keep these areas the way they are.”

The Headwaters Economics report shows that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recorded more than 25,000 elk hunter days in 2015 on the four Fergus County hunting districts. Of those days, seven percent overall were represented by non-residents, but expenditures by out-of-state hunters comprised about half the total. The study, which did not include figures for bird hunter days, indicates big game hunting provides a consistent and significant economic impact to the region from Montanans and non-residents alike. Additionally, the study cited research from the American Journal of Agricultural Economics showing that, “protected natural amenities—such as pristine scenery and wildlife—help sustain property values and attract new investment.”

“Our big game populations and wild backcountry are why we live in this area, and now we know they are crucial to our economy as well,” says Doug Krings, a local sportsman and member of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “We can’t urge the BLM enough to pay attention to this report and then make the kind of management decisions that will ensure our big game populations continue to thrive, so we too can continue to thrive.”

Economic Impacts of Elk Hunting In Hunting Districts 410, 412, 417, & 426

More Public Lands Means More Access

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Mike Mueller Specimen Creek
Public lands have been under attack for several years, led by a small but vocal group of state legislators around the West and radical activists who want states to takeover federal public lands.

But while their voice is loud, the vast majority of Montanans and Westerners know that our public lands – state and federal – are the very reason we live in these stunning landscapes. And they’re the places where we all go to hunt, fish and watch wildlife.

In fact, while some people are bashing public lands, sportsmen and sportswomen see the value in adding to them to benefit wildlife and habitat. And sometimes, we get those for free, when a private landowner or conservation group make the choice to make their legacy one of conservation.

That’s happening on a key piece of private land that has been owned by Stimson Lumber Company northwest of Helena with the Specimen Creek addition to the Canyon Creek Wildlife Management Area.

The project would entail a donation of 729 acres by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to add to the existing 2,361 acre Canyon Creek WMA. The project truly has it all: it adds important habitat in a key area that has healthy populations of wildlife, but is also a key wildlife corridor near the Continental Divide. It would greatly increase the contiguous habitat in the area, and opens up public access not only on the land but also to adjoining national forest lands. And it includes a fisheries component, with two streams on the property that feed Canyon Creek and offer the potential for westslope cutthroat trout restoration.

With so much attention in recent years on our public lands, this project also illustrates just how important programs that help us protect and enhance wildlife habitat are. This project has the added benefit of being a donation, with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation offering to give the property to the state to add to an existing wildlife management area. Some lawmakers have expressed opposition, even to donations of land, which is ironic since many of them are often touting private property rights.

But in other cases, a landowner would like to make wildlife habitat part of his or her legacy, yet needs some compensation for it. That’s where Montana’s incredibly popular Habitat Montana program comes in. For two decades Habitat Montana has helped Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks add key parcels to our state’s system of wildlife management areas. It’s helped fund easements that protect working farms and ranches, while providing access for public hunters. And it’s helped leverage federal and private dollars to get these projects done.

Habitat Montana is one of Montana hunters’ greatest achievements, and yet state lawmakers are constantly berating the program and working to kill it. That has to stop.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation deserves credit for working on this key project that will benefit not only elk, but numerous other game and non-game species of wildlife. The Specimen Creek project shows that when conservation partners work together, we can do great things for wildlife, public access and the future of our hunting heritage.

Nick Gevock is the Montana Wildlife Federation’s conservation director.

MWF Specimen Creek Additional Comments

Floating Fish and a Sinking Economy:

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Yellowstone River Fish Kill Photo Credit: MT FWP

This summer, Montana’s world-renowned rivers and cold-water fisheries have experienced record low water flows and extreme high temperatures. This dangerous combination has caused hoot owl closures since June. Over the last few weeks, it has contributed to a dramatic fish die-off on the Yellowstone River.

By now, most people know that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) officials have completely closed 183 miles of the Yellowstone River to all public use due to a massive die-off caused by an outbreak of proliferative kidney disease (PKD). Research shows that PKD can kill between 20 to 100 percent of fish during an outbreak. Up to this point, outbreaks of PKD have been pretty rare outside of Europe. In the US, they have occurred in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, and the parasite that causes the disease has been found in two isolated spots in Montana.

FWP’s biologists have identified record low flows and high temperatures in the Yellowstone as key factors in the PKD outbreak. Research has shown that high water temperatures fuel PKD outbreaks by weakening fish and increasing the virulence of the PKD parasite.

The closure of the Yellowstone River is having dramatic impact on the local community and economy. Hopefully, the swift response from FWP will lead us on a path to recovery in this important fishery. And despite this incident, there are still plenty of incredible angling options in Montana for residents and visitors to enjoy.

At the same time, we need to recognize that the Yellowstone die-off foreshadows a bigger threat to Montana’s outdoor heritage: climate change. The low flows and high temperatures facing Montana rivers today are consistent with the effects of climate change, and representative of what most scientists expect will become the norm as our snowpack disappears and runoff happens earlier. Fisheries biologists have identified climate change as a significant threat to the aquatic environment and our fisheries.

If the current trend continues, hoot owl closures that limit our recreation are going to become the norm for Montana. And new pathogens that threaten our fish will become widespread. In fact, scientists have specifically cited PKD as a disease that will be aggravated by climate change.

In addition to threatening our outdoor heritage, these changes bear an economic cost. Last year, MWF commissioned a study that predicts – conservatively – a one-third decline in angling days over the next 40 years, with an economic loss of $49 million and 1,800 jobs, if nothing is done about climate change.

The Yellowstone fish die-off shows us that outdoor economy job losses due to climate change aren’t just numbers in a report. Incidents like this demonstrate the real, tangible impact climate change will have on real people and communities.

Our decision-makers need to take action on climate change to protect our fisheries, outdoor heritage, and outdoor economy. Common sense investments in reducing pollution and growing our renewable energy economy can reign in climate change. Protecting riparian habitat to keep our rivers cool and improving angler awareness about pathogens can help reduce the impacts that scientists are forecasting.

Montana is home to some of the best cold-water fisheries in the world. With continued scientific management of our rivers and common-sense action on climate change, future generations will be able to experience the trout fishing we enjoy today.

MWF commends the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for rejecting questionable elk hazing plan

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Elk in Shrub Photo Credit: Matt Patrias

The Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) commends the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for rejecting a proposal that would have allowed hazing of elk perceived to have been exposed to brucellosis from other elk.

The proposal was a change to the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ annual elk brucellosis management plan, which lays out management actions in areas where brucellosis is prevalent in order to keep elk and cattle separated. Brucellosis, a domestic livestock disease introduced into elk herds, causes elk and livestock to abort their calves.

The new plan would have allowed hazing to keep separate elk herds, a move that hunters find impossible to implement and expensive, with almost no chance of being successful.

“Knowing which elk have not been exposed to brucellosis is a huge challenge in itself, realizing how many elk could be involved and how mobile elk can be,” testified Nick Gevock, MWF conservation director, at the Commission’s meeting. “And where would the funding come from to implement this plan?”

Fish and Wildlife Commissioners agreed that the plan had too many problems. They recognized that both the livestock industry and wildlife advocates share the goal of having wildlife on the landscape, a healthy agriculture industry and keeping the designated zone around Yellowstone National Park where cattle are monitored at its current size. Commissioners urged agricultural interests to reach out to the hunting community to continue working on solutions for this complicated issue.

“This is a complicated issue, but MWF is eager to work with Montana’s ranchers to find a way to protect their industry while also protecting the public’s big game,” said Gevock.

Let’s Honor Our Promises: Protect Sage-Grouse

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Sage Grouse. Photos by Bob Wick, BLM Photo Credit:Bob Wick, BLM

Montana’s sage-grouse season opens Sept. 1 and runs through the month, closing Sept. 30. The fact that there is a hunting season at all is a testament to the conservation work that has been done in Montana. Sage-grouse populations struggle when their habitat is fragmented. Impacts from energy development and the conversion of sagebrush steppe habitat to cropland are bigger threats than any of the bird’s natural predators. However, decades of efforts at monitoring sage grouse and conserving their habitat in Montana has paid off. Last August, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided the bird didn’t warrant listing on the Endangered Species List because of the ongoing conservation work in Montana and throughout their range.

Here in Montana, the sage brush habitat that the bird resides is also the habitat that produces our world class game. Mule deer, elk, antelope, and hundreds of non-game species rely on the same intact habitat. The unparalleled efforts of ranchers, conservation groups, federal land managers and the state working together on habitat conservation is the primary reason why we have kept the greater sage-grouse under state management. The state and federal plans have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and science, while ensuring the best path forward to achieving abundant populations of the bird and better management of our public lands. The plans for the Bureau of Land Management in the Billings, Hi Line and Miles City regions outline a comprehensive framework to guide future management decisions for all resource values and program areas, while addressing threats to the sage-grouse. The plans focus protections on the areas of highest importance to the species. They are being implemented with input from local working groups and in coordination with the Montana Sage Grouse Oversight Team.

While keeping the bird from being listed under the Endangered Species Act was a huge win for us all, it was only the starting point. Now, all the stakeholders in Montana that kept the bird from being listed a year ago, must follow through with the commitments we made to other western states and our partners in the federal government. We need to live up to our end of the bargain.

Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke have both criticized the BLM sage-grouse plans and called for funding cuts and delays. Montanans cannot afford to roll back all the work that has been done to protect and enhance the bird and its habitat. Instead of criticizing the BLM plans and setting them up to fail, we need to roll our sleeves and work together with creative ideas. If we succeed, we will be able to protect working farms and ranches and have hunting seasons for this iconic bird for years to come. That’s a win for us all.

John Bradley is Montana Wildlife Federation’s Eastern Field Rep. based in Billings. He can be reached at jbradley@mtwf.org

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.