Ranch land in the Horse Creek conservation easement near Glendive.
Whether
the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission or the Montana State Board of
Land Commissioners has the final say on state conservation easements is
now in the hands of the Montana Supreme Court.
Gov.
Steve Bullock and FWP Director Martha Williams filed petition with the
court Monday morning, seeking to overturn a legally binding opinion made
last week by Attorney General Tim Fox. The opinion faulted the Bullock administration
for bypassing the Land Board earlier this year to allow FWP to close on
the Horse Creek conservation easement in eastern Montana.
Monday’s
petition asks the court to decide if the term “land acquisition”
includes not only land purchases but the purchase of conservation
easements.
Bullock believes the plain language
of statute and legislative intent show that the law requiring Land Board
approval of land acquisitions does not include easements, which
typically allow public access while curbing subdivision.
After
filing the attorney general’s opinion last week, Fox said in an
interview that while he supported the easement, he believed Bullock,
“decided to unilaterally ignore the law,” and found that the Land Board
has the final legal say over state conservation easements. The opinion,
which came at the request of Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, carries the weight of the law unless overturned by the court.
Oct. 15, 2018 Montana State Land Board 1539 Eleventh Ave. Helena, MT 59601 Dear Montana Land Board members, The Montana Sporting Coalition is comprised of a dozen hunting and angling organizations with tens of thousands of members in Montana. We were formed in 2015 over concerns about the Habitat Montana program. This program is now more than three decades old, and it has a strong track record of conserving wildlife habitat and providing public recreational access through targeted land purchases and conservation easements with willing private landowners. Habitat Montana is one of our state’s most successful conservation programs. It has conserved more than 400,000 acres and is a large part of why hunters in Montana enjoy the longest big game seasons in the West. In 2015, the Montana Legislature put restrictions on Habitat Montana that barred land purchases, making it clear that it wanted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to focus on private land conservation easements. These easements keep land in private ownership, often times making it easier for parents to pass ranches and farms down to the next generation. Easements help preserve the agricultural way-of-life, protect the land from development, and help provide public recreational access to public and private lands, while maintaining landowner control. Simply put, Habitat Montana is a prime example of the decades-long partnership between hunters and landowners that has helped build the abundance of wildlife in the state and increase opportunities for fishing, hunting and other recreation. The funding from Habitat Montana for conservation easements is a solid way of preserving our agricultural heritage. It allows landowners to plan for their economic future, expand their farming and/or ranching operations, and maintain quality wildlife habitat on their properties. Landowners spend years putting these agreements together. They usually start with serious conversations within the family before they approach FWP or another agency and/or land conservation organization. These deals take tremendous effort to put together, and often a landowner has invested thousands of dollars in attorney’s and accountant fees, appraisal costs, document preparation and other work to plan a project. While the Horse Creek Complex Conservation Easement has been completed, the disagreement over the necessity of Land Board approval for easements has put a halt to projects pending an Attorney General’s opinion. Currently, FWP has 12 pending easement projects totaling 86,000 acres, according to data provided by the agency. Several landowners have land exchanges and purchases pending approval of these easement projects. It is unfair to these landowners, who have typically entered the process with FWP years earlier, to hold up projects that benefit their farms, ranches and families. It’s also unfair to the hunters and anglers who pay for this program that provides so much benefit to wildlife, agriculture and local economies. The unfortunate controversies being played out around conservation easements do not simply impact one agency or elected officials. They impact Montanans who are trying to maintain traditional agricultural operations and ensure hunters, anglers, hikers and other recreationists always have a place to experience this special place like past generations have. Sincerely, Montana Wildlife Federation National Wildlife Federation Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Ducks Unlimited Montana Bowhunters Association Montana Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Mule Deer Foundation Montana Wild Sheep Foundation Montana Sportsmen Alliance Pheasants Forever
Those of us who treasure Montana’s great outdoors—our hunting, fishing and recreational heritage and public lands legacy—know that we must have people in the state legislature and in Congress who can knowledgably and enthusiastically work for, and when necessary defend—those resources. Kathleen Williams has the policy experience and ability to act on behalf of Montana’s outdoor heritage in Washington D.C. Her work, both in her long career in public resources as well as in the Montana legislature, has yielded solid, tangible results, not just empty partisan rhetoric. She has a proven track record of working with a wide range of interests and people civilly and productively and has done so with the best interests of all Montanans foremost. As a staunch defender of our public lands she has fought vigorously against transparent efforts to move them into private ownership, which would deny all citizens access to that magnificent legacy. She understands the larger, long-term view and remains an ardent advocate for those boundless resources. We need a voice in Congress that is one of us, who can speak for the resource concerns of all Montanans, whether from the tall mountains of western Montana or the shortgrass prairies of the east. The Montana Sportsmen Alliance PAC whole-heartedly supports Kathleen for US Congress.
Montana Sportsmen Alliance Leadership Team Sam Milodragovich-Butte John Borgreen-Great Falls Jeff Herbert-Helena Steve Schindler-Glasgow Joe Perry-Conrad JW Westman-Park City Robert Wood-Hamilton Don Thomas-Lewistown Dale Tribby-Miles Ci
When it Comes to Montana's Senate Race, The Proof's in the Pudding.....
Once again, Montana hunting seasons and elections cross paths. Candidates brag their outdoor credentials with photos of them wearing hunter orange afield on the hunt, or holding glistening trout snatched from the water with a fly rod. Yet, as the saying goes, the proof’s in the pudding.
Senator Jon Tester has demonstrated his commitment to Montana’s outdoor heritage from the time he served in our state legislature. As our US Senator, Jon has been involved in numerous critical issues, supporting and initiating bills to ensure the long- term sustainability of Montana’s legacy of public lands and access, the conservation of critical resources and supporting the outdoor economy that helps our state to thrive. He has a proven track record in the Senate for advocacy on behalf of legislation that preserves, protects and enhances the resources that make Montana unique- the Last Best Place. He’s done this through efforts on behalf of such important programs as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that has benefitted Montana, Montanans-and the nation- since its inception in the 1960’s.
Jon’s opponent has repeatedly shown his lack of understanding of the spectacular resources that make our state unique and the outdoor values that we Montanans hold dear. Time and again, in his roles as state legislator and on the State Land Board, and despite widespread support throughout Montana’s hunting, angling, recreation, and conservation communities, he has stood opposed to important initiatives that ensure our hunting and outdoor heritage into the future. Instead, he has chosen to ally himself with those who would put public lands, resources and access in private hands, far from the reach of ordinary Montanans.
There is no question that Jon Tester embraces-- and more importantly, demonstrates through his actions-- a strong habitat conservation ethic, and an articulated commitment to and support for our publicly- held resources, public lands and public access to them. The Montana Sportsmen Alliance Pac gives Jon our unqualified support for United States senator on November 6.
Montana Sportsmen Alliance Leadership Team Sam Milodragovich-Butte John Borgreen-Great Falls Jeff Herbert-Helena Steve Schindler-Glasgow Joe Perry-Conrad JW Westman-Park City Robert Wood-Hamilton Don Thomas-Lewistown Dale Tribby-Miles City
Mule deer are one of the species often found on BLM land in Eastern Montana, like this one in the 7 Blackfoot Wilderness Study Area. BRETT FRENCH, Billings Gazette▲
As the Trump Administration makes it easier for oil and gas companies to lease and develop federal lands, conservation advocates have released a report valuing acreage managed by the Bureau of Land Management for wildlife-recreational purposes.
According to a report by Southwick Associates, BLM lands in 11 western states and Alaska support 26,500 jobs, generate more than $1 billion in salaries and wages, and produce more than $421 million in federal, state and local tax revenue — which added up is more than $3.3 billion.
In Montana that translates to more than 3,900 jobs, $134 million in salaries and wages, and $18 million in state and local taxes, the study calculated, or a total of $448 million including federal taxes and the contribution to the regional economy from hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing on BLM lands. In Wyoming the figures are almost 2,700 jobs, more than $88 million in salaries and wages, and $23.5 million in state and local taxes, or a total of $330 million.
“These findings confirm what many of us have known all along: BLM public lands are critically important for public hunting and fishing in America, and these activities are good for businesses and local communities alike,” said Christy Plumer, chief conservation officer with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, in a press release. “This report should be a foundational resource as decision-makers consider the economic effects of wildlife habitat conservation on BLM public lands.”
In Montana, BLM lands are prized by hunters for providing access to antelope and mule deer habitat, as well as upland game like sharp-tailed grouse and wild turkeys. The BLM’s Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument is home to trophy elk and bighorn sheep.
The value of BLM lands for wildlife recreation has been calculated for 11 western states and Alaska in a new report from Southwick Associates. CASEY PAGE, Billings Gazette▲
BLM numbers
In comparison to the Southwick numbers, in 2017 the BLM calculated its total recreational economic output in Montana — of which wildlife-related would be only one part — at $290 million and supporting more than 28,000 jobs, according to Al Nash, chief of communications for the Montana-Dakotas BLM office.
“We talk about hosting nearly 4.5 million public visits on sites in Montana and the Dakotas,” he said. “That’s a lot of people on a lot of public land.”
That public land also includes 60,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs serviced by 32 boat launches.
“We have such varied lands and so many different recreational opportunities across those landscapes,” Nash said. “If you have an interest we probably have a place.”
Antelope line a ridgeline on BLM land in central Montana. BRETT FRENCH, Billings Gazette▲
Money talks
The Southwick figures are the latest from many recent studies to break out recreation’s value to the economy as conservation and outdoor groups, tourism-related businesses and even state governments have stressed the value of public lands and the money that people recreating on them generate.
In 2017, theOutdoor Industry Associationcalculated Montana’s total outdoor recreation economy at $7.1 billion in consumer spending, $2.2 billion in wages and salaries and 71,000 direct jobs, numbers often quoted by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.
The values have been calculated as groups of western Republicans have advocated returning federal lands to the states to manage. One of those advocates, Montana auditor Matt Rosendale, has recently recanted his support for such a turnover as he’s challenged Sen. Jon Tester for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats.
Nationally, theU.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysisrecently published a report showing that “the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent ($412 billion) of current-dollar (gross domestic product) in 2016 … In addition, real gross output, compensation, and employment all grew faster in outdoor recreation than in the overall economy in 2016.”
In comparison, theBEA rankedoil and gas extraction at .9 percent of GDP in 2016 and other mining at .3 percent. Support activities for mining came in at .2 percent of GDP.
In 2016 “oil and gas development on BLM-managed lands supported 201,000 jobs nationwide and contributed more than $42 billion in output to the U.S. economy,” according to the BLM.
Bureau of Land Management▲
BLM lands
The BLM is a big stakeholder in Montana, managing about 8 million acres or 26 percent of the state’s entire acreage. In Wyoming that figure is much higher, 18.4 million acres of BLM land, which is almost one-third of the entire state. Nationwide, the BLM manages about 30 percent of U.S. minerals.
A portion of the BLM lands in Montana are protected as wilderness study areas. In March, Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., introduced hisUnlocking Public Lands Actin Congress which proposes releasing 240,000 acres of BLM wilderness study areas in Montana from protection along with another 450,000 acres of Forest Service WSAs in the state. The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee.
Gianforte’s proposal has drawn support from some Republican county commissioners and motorized recreationists while conservation advocates have denounced Gianforte for not holding public meetings prior to or since introducing the bill.
Southwick Associates’ report, titled “Quantifying the Economic Contributions of Wildlife-Related Recreation on BLM Lands,” was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Wildlife Management Institute, Trout Unlimited, Archery Trade Association, and the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. The analysis looked at data for BLM-managed lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
