Hunting and Fishing Access for All Montanans - Removing Padlocks and Strengthening Partnerships

Removing Padlocks and Strengthening Partnerships:
Hunting and Fishing Access for All Montanans

ACCESS

           The opportunity to harvest wild fish and wild game animals is a heritage
    that shall forever be preserved to the individual citizens of the state and does not create
          a right to trespass on private property or diminution of other private rights.
                                 MONTANA CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE IX, SEC 7

 In Montana, we know that fishing and hunting
 is about more than brown trout and bull elk.
 Our outdoor heritage is also at the core of our economy.Hunting and
 fishing are sustainable and ongoing economic drivers for our local
 communities. Outdoor recreation in Montana brings over $680 million
 in annual economic activity and is responsible for nearly 10,000 jobs.

 While hunting and fishing is big business, wildlife in Montana belongs to the people of our state. Like-
 wise, the lands that many of us hunt on are publicly-owned and our stream access laws are the envy of
 anglers around the globe. Montanans know that access to our public lands, rivers and streams is our
 right—and has nothing to do with the size of our checking account.

 When it comes to accessing our public lands, private property should always be respected and protected.
 But the fundamental right to access Montana’s public lands is constantly being challenged. At any
 given point and in every corner of our state, dozens of roads that have been used by the public—
 which lead to public lands—are being locked up. These roads have often been used by generations
 of Montanans and maintained with taxpayer dollars, yet they’ve been locked up by people who put
 their profit margin ahead of our heritage, and our right to hunt and fish.

 As an Assistant Attorney General, I defended Montana’s stream access laws
 against challenges by out of state interests and authored the landmark legal
 opinion that guaranteed access to streams and rivers from bridge crossings.
 As Attorney General, I worked to make sure private property rights were protected
 and public access wasn’t limited. I did so by working with the land board, the
 legislature, and through our judicial system.
                                                                                          (continued)

     PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF STEVE BULLOCK  DEMOCRAT
1    P.O. BOX 1330  HELENA, MONTANA 59624
     WWW.ST E VEBUL L OCK.COM

ACCESS

 As Governor, I’ll lead the fight to make sure that our constitutionally-protected
 opportunity to access our wildlife on public lands is protected, while protecting
 private property rights and working to enhance public-private partnerships.

    End Road Disputes: More and more often, individuals are blocking roads that have been
     traditionally used by the public, preventing access to thousands of acres of public lands. These
     disputes often end in court, involving years of litigation and tens of thousands of dollars to private
     party and public interest groups. It also means lost outdoor opportunities and hunting season while
     lawyers wrangle. Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts aren’t the only Montanans adversely affected by
     road disputes. In some instances, ranchers have been denied access to their state grazing leases.

     Almost 3.5 million acres of public land is not accessible because of closed roads. This creates pri-
     vate hunting reserves on public land. That’s not right. The abuses of public property must stop so
     we can grow our hunting economy and opportunity for Montana outdoorsmen and women. In
     fact, the longer a road is blocked the more difficult it will be to regain public access, therefore swift
     resolution of these conflicts is crucial.

     Montanans shouldn’t have to rely on private parties to ensure access on public roads to public
     lands. Going forward, the state, through the Montana Department of Transportation, will have the
     responsibility of first evaluating whether a road is public or private. Utilizing this expertise as the
     first stop will help swiftly resolve these road issues, leading to less division, greater clarity, and
     fewer disputes dragging on for years. We can also take advantage of our popular access programs –
     like the Hunter Access Enhancement Fund – that are used to purchase easements across private
     land in order to open these currently inaccessible lands.

    Stop the Privatizing and Commercialization of Public Wildlife: Recent legislative sessions
     have seen attempts to privatize and commercialize Montana’s abundant public wildlife – one of
     our most valuable natural resources. These misguided plans – several of which passed the legisla-
     ture only to be vetoed by Governor Schweitzer – were derived from a model of hunting used in
     other parts of the West that would ultimately eliminate hunting opportunities for resident hunters.

     As a Montana sportsman and as Governor, I’ll commit to our North American model of fair chase
     hunting, one where success is determined by a hunter’s perseverance and patience, not his or her
     pocketbook. I will veto any attempts to privatize or commercialize Montana’s public wildlife.

                                                                                               (continued)

      PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF STEVE BULLOCK  DEMOCRAT
2     P.O. BOX 1330  HELENA, MONTANA 59624
      WWW.ST E VEBUL L OCK.COM

ACCESS

    Preserve Public Access, Expand Opportunities: Attempts to weaken and undermine our
     stream access laws and the ability to hunt and fish on public lands occur every session. Measures
     have been introduced to define some quality fisheries as “irrigation ditches,” in a plot to exempt
     them from public access.

     There have also been proposals to stop any expansion or acquisition of fishing access sites. At the
     national level, the Republican party has put into their platform the aim to transfer public lands
     into private hands. A blanket proposal like that does not fit for Montana.

     Montana has recent models of success when it comes to acquisitions. Fish Creek, Spotted Dog
     and the Marias River Wildlife Management Areas provide incredible opportunities for our
     outdoor enthusiasts.

 As Governor, I’ll work to expand opportunities for resident hunters and
 anglers—including improving and expanding public access opportunities.
 And I’ll veto any measure that would weaken our public access laws.
    Emphasize Public-Private Partnerships: Montana’s Block Management Program (BMP)
     provides over 8 million acres of public access, 440,000 annual hunter recreation days and
     provides compensation to more than 1,200 landowners. Repeated landowner and sportsmen
     surveys show high approval of the program. Annually, only 3-5% of landowners decline to renew,
     and there is a waiting list to get in the program.

 As Governor, we will improve the Block Management Program.
 I won’t do it by paying some more than others based on the number of trophy animals
 on their property, essentially privatizing public wildlife. Instead, I will actively engage
 the Private Lands/Public Wildlife Council—consisting of sportsmen, outfitters and
 landowners—to develop proposals to provide incentives to landowners to enhance
 wildlife habitat quality and improving opportunities. The key is to bring the impacted
 communities together to help develop the solutions, instead of a political proposal that
 violates state law.

                          STEVE BULLOCK, candidate for Governor

      PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF STEVE BULLOCK  DEMOCRAT
3     P.O. BOX 1330  HELENA, MONTANA 59624
      WWW.ST E VEBUL L OCK.COM

 

                                            References    
  
     ¾ Stop  the  Privatizing  and  Commercialization  of  Public  Wildlife.  SB  400.  2011  Legislative  Session  
  
     ¾ Preserve  Public  Access,  Expand  Opportunities-­‐  Irrigation  Ditches.    HB  309.  2011  Legislative  
       Session  
         
     ¾ Preserve  Public  Access,  Expand  Opportunities-­‐  Fishing  Access  Sites.    SB  301.  2011  Legislative  
       Session  
         
     ¾ Understanding  Montana͛s  Block  Management  Program.  Press  Release.  Montana  Fish,  Wildlife,  &  
       Parks.