Thursday, May 21, 2020

Daily Interlake Montana’s outdoor recreation traditions are at stake in the Republican primary



Montana’s outdoor recreation traditions are at stake in the Republican primary

by Andrew McKean
| May 10, 2020 1:00 AM
Those of us Montanans who like to hunt, fish, and hike just want to do more of it, unburdened by the political implications of our activities.
Of course, it’s hard to escape politics, even far from the trailhead or the boat launch. Our ability to access rivers and streams in the state is itself a political expression, an ability won by passionate access advocates and then upheld by our courts. Our ability to hunt public wildlife is assured only because people who came before us understood that without access to the state’s elk and deer herds, bighorn sheep bands, and grouse coveys, they’re private property for all practical purposes.
Even our ability to hike, ride, or drive our public lands without encountering industrial facilities like gas fields or abandoned mines is dependent on which administration is in charge of public-land management decisions.
Given that politics is about choice, this year’s Montana governor’s race offers a stark alternative between candidates who have vowed to uphold our hard-fought traditions of access, public management of public wildlife, and citizen-crafted policies and those who would close our streams, profit from our public wildlife, and leave management decisions to a crony crew of insiders.
In the Democratic primary, the public-access and public-trust policies that have made Montana a destination for outdoorsfolk and stoked the engine of our outdoors economy are shared by most candidates. It’s on the Republican side that the starkest choices await primary voters.
Our current one-term Congressman, Greg Gianforte, has had problems with Montana’s stream-access law since he tried to block legal access to a fork of the Gallatin River across his property near Bozeman. A settlement with Fish, Wildlife and Parks resulted in mitigating some of the impacts by public recreationists, but the issue remains: Gianforte’s instinct is to defer to private-property rights, even when the law — and tradition — of public recreation access is clear.
That instinct has been formalized and intensified with Gianforte’s pick for his lieutenant governor, Kristen Juras, a former law professor who has written that landowners should have the “right to exclude” the public from legally accessible waterways. How would Montana’s remarkable stream-access law fare in a Gianforte-Juras administration?
Gianforte’s main Republican opponent, current Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and running mate Jon Knokey, have distributed a detailed outdoor strategy in which they pledge to not only uphold traditional recreational access, including to Montana’s streams and rivers, but they’ve committed to improving access to the state’s 3 million acres of inaccessible public land.
Then there’s the issue of access to public wildlife. That’s a bedrock principle of the North American model of wildlife management, but a number of Western states have eroded that pillar by giving quotas of hunting licenses to landowners to sell to whomever they want. It’s called “Ranching for Wildlife” in Colorado and “Cooperative Wildlife Management” in Utah, but it amounts to the same thing – selling the public’s wildlife to the highest bidder.
Gianforte has a demonstrated history of siding with large landowners when it comes to mitigating impacts of wildlife. During his previous run for the governor’s office he said that requiring a landowner to provide public access in order to qualify for tools to offset impacts of wildlife amounts to a taking of private-property rights, even though multiple Supreme Court cases have ruled that wildlife, and the impacts on forage or fences, must be borne by landowners as a “condition of the land.”
It’s a short step from thinking that landowners can do whatever they want with depredating wildlife to rewarding large landowners who harbor big-game herds with hunting licenses that they can sell to outfitters for high-dollar hunts.
Fox and Knokey, meanwhile, have pledged to use incentives to open more private land to public hunting, using access tools like block management to direct hunters to the most problematic big-game herds in the state, and collecting broad and diverse input as the state drafts an elk-management plan that aims to use public hunting as the primary tool to reduce concentrations of elk.
That’s the bright line between the two candidates. One uses the cudgel of the courts to challenge public-access traditions. The other uses collaboration and consultation to resolve friction between private property and public resources.
These differences are ultimately political, but they transcend party affiliation. In this primary election, I encourage Democrats to vote the Republican ballot and cast a ballot that recognizes and continues our Montana values of collaboration and public access to public resources. A Fox/Knokey primary victory would ensure that November’s general election is about other issues — funding for social services, investment in public infrastructure, and rebuilding our agricultural economy — and not about who gets to access our remarkable natural resources.
Ballots are in the mail over the next week. Vote, and then go hiking, fishing, or hunting without having to fret about the political consequences of doing what you love.
Andrew McKean is a freelance outdoor writer and former editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life magazine. He lives in Glasgow.

Voter Guide







2020 Primary Election Gubernatorial Voter Guide

Thank you for being a voter. This – and every – election has significant impacts on our public lands. Your vote makes a difference. 
The gubernatorial race is particularly important because Montana’s governor can make decisions on how the state allocates state funding for public land and conservation projects and has the power to pass or veto bills that have made it through the state legislature. The governor also serves on the Montana Land Board, which makes decisions regarding the management of state trust lands and the acquisition of public lands. Moreover, the governor can use the power of his office as a bully pulpit to speak out on public lands issues at the local, state, and federal level.
Montana's primary election is June 2. 
To best protect public health, this year each of Montana's 56 counties is conducting an all-mail election. It's important to note that while your normal polling place will be closed, you can still register to vote or cast your ballot in person. More information about this election, including how to register to vote, is included in the “Election Information” section below this guide. 
About this Guide
In creating this guide, we sent a questionnaire to each of the candidates for governor. We did not receive responses from the Gianforte or Olszewski campaigns. To determine what their answers to our questions would be, we researched their positions using publicly available information, such as voting records and public statements. Where there was clear evidence of a position, we have answered the question and linked to the source. In cases where the candidate has been asked the question but not provided a clear answer as to their position, the guide reads “uncommitted,” and where there is no record of a candidate’s position, the guide reads “unknown.” 
This guide was paid for by Wild Montana Action Fund
Kim Leighton, Treasurer
80 S. Warren
Helena, MT 59601

2020 Gubernatorial Candidates


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Greg Gianforte/
Kristen Juras (R)
Endorsements: Family Research Council, Gun Owners of America, and Susan B. Anthony List

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Mike Cooney/
Casey Schreiner (D)
Endorsements: Governor Steve Bullock, Senator Jon Tester, former Senator Max Baucus

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Tim Fox/
Jon Knokey (R)
Endorsements: Former MT Governor Marc Racicot, Randy Newberg (public lands activist and host of “Fresh Tracks”), Andrew McKean (former editor-in-chief of “Outdoor Life” magazine)

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Whitney Williams/
Buzz Mattelin (D)
Endorsements: Governor Brian Schweitzer, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, and Emily's List

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Al Olszewski/
Ken Bogner (R)
Endorsements: Montanans for Limited Government, Major General Paul E. Valley, Former State Senator Ken Miller

Do you support the transfer of federal public lands ownership to the state?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – NO* (source)
Fox/Knokey – NO
Olszewski/Bogner – YES* (source)
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – NO
Cooney/Schreiner – NO

Do you support the transfer of federal public lands management to the state?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – YES* (source)
Fox/Knokey – NO
Olszewski/Bogner – YES* (source)
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – NO
Cooney/Schreiner – NO

Habitat Montana is a state program that uses out-of-state hunting and fishing license dollars and federal funding to purchase additional public lands and easements for fish and wildlife habitat and hunting access. Do you support using Habitat Montana funds to purchase additional public lands?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – NO* (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

Would you support using state funds to purchase additional lands to create new state parks, fishing access sites, and other recreation and conservation areas?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – NO* (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

Would you support a small increase in state taxes or fees in order to protect water, conserve wildlife habitat, and create more opportunities for outdoor recreation in Montana?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – NO* (source)
Fox/Knokey – NO
Olszewski/Bogner – NO* (source)
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), fed entirely by offshore oil and gas royalties, provides federal funding for local outdoor recreation infrastructure (such as baseball and soccer fields and tennis courts), public land and water access, parks, and other conservation projects in Montana. Do you support full and permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – UNCOMMITTED* (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

The Montana Water Rights Protection Act (S. 3019) is a piece of federal legislation that would ratify the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes' (CSKT) Water Compact that was passed by the Montana Legislature in 2015. Do you support the Montana Water Rights Protection Act?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – UNCOMMITTED* (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – NO* (source)
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

In 2017 and 2018, Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte both introduced legislation (S. 2206, H.R. 5148, and H.R. 5149) that together would have eliminated 29 of Montana’s 44 wilderness study areas. Do you support this legislation?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – YES*
Fox/Knokey – NO
Olszewski/Bogner – YES* (source)
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – NO
Cooney/Schreiner – NO

The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA) (S. 1765) is a collaborative proposal crafted by local community members representing timber, ranching, outfitting, conservation, recreation, and other interests. The act would create recreation areas for snowmobiling and mountain biking near Ovando, as well as enlarge the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Mission Mountains Wilderness areas. Do you support the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – UNCOMMITTED* (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – YES* (source)
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

Three years ago, Montana created an Office of Outdoor Recreation to work with businesses to help grow the outdoor recreation economy and to support the public lands, wildlife habitat, and waters on which these jobs depend. Do you support funding the Office of Outdoor Recreation to continue this work?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – UNKNOWN* (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

Noncompetitive oil and gas leasing is a practice that enables oil and gas companies to pay $1.50 an acre for leases to public land parcels by bypassing regular Bureau of Land Management bidding processes. Do you support the practice of noncompetitive oil and gas leasing?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – UNKNOWN*
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN*
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – NO
Cooney/Schreiner – NO

Do you support increasing mitigation and reclamation requirements on oil and gas producers to ensure that development does not impact critical wildlife habitats?


Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – NO* (source)
Fox/Knokey – NO
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN*
Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES

In recent years, governors have used the veto power to protect access to public lands and water from bad legislation. Would you veto any bills that negatively impact the access rights of Montanans, including any that threaten the funding or authority of Habitat Montana?


Democrats
Williams/Mattelin – YES
Cooney/Schreiner – YES
Republicans
Gianforte/Juras – UNKNOWN * (source)
Fox/Knokey – YES
Olszewski/Bogner – UNKNOWN*
Election Information 
Ballots were mailed to voters on May 8. If you believe you are registered but did not receive your ballot the following week, you should check your registration status on the Secretary of State's My Voter Page to ensure both your voter registration and mailing addresses are current.
If you need to register to vote or update your address or other information, there is still time. You can complete your voter registration application online through the Secretary of State website and mail a printed copy to your county's elections office. For the primary, your mailed form must be received by May 26. After that, you must visit your county's designated location in person. A list of in-person registration locations is available here. Every eligible Montanan has the right to register to vote up to – and even on – Election Day.
Once you receive and complete your ballot, simply return it in the enclosed, postage-paid envelope. If you prefer to vote in-person, or if you need a replacement ballot, visit your county elections office. Click here for a county-by-county list. You can track your ballot on My Voter Page to see when the county receives it and confirm that it has been accepted. It's important to note that whether you vote by mail or in person, all ballots must be received by your county elections office by 8 p.m. on June 2. 
If you have any questions about ballot delivery or the registration process, do not hesitate to call your county election administrator. They are ready to serve Montanans in these unprecedented times.
To stay in-the-know about upcoming elections and legislation that will affect our public lands, please sign up for our email list. 

Billings Gazette "GOP's Moment of Choice"



GUEST OPINION

Guest view: GOP's moment of choice



Of course, it’s much harder to see clearly when you’re living through history in real time.
I was reminded of this while reading a newspaper column by Andrew McKean, the former editor of Outdoor Life who lives in Glasgow. McKean very capably highlighted the choice voters face in the Republican primary for Montana governor, and he did so through the lens of public lands.
Our one-term Congressman, Greg Gianforte, has a fundamental instinct to privatize our lands, our waters and our wildlife, and has chosen as his running mate a law professor who has written that private landowners should be allowed to exclude the public from what are now public-access waterways.
Gianforte’s main primary opponent is Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, who has drafted a plan not only to maintain public access but also to vastly improve that access for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.
This issue – public access to public lands – provides a large window into how these two candidates think about the world. It’s a fundamental difference, and reveals much about how they weigh the good of the many against the profit of the few.
And just as this one small issue reveals much about the contrast between these two candidates, the divide between Gianforte and Fox exposes a critical split within today’s Republican Party. Yes, this election is about public land access, and it is about the public good versus private power, but it also is about the heart and soul of America’s GOP.
The Republican Party was born as the party of innovation and leadership. It has been the party of emancipation, public education for all, the National Park Service and public lands, transcontinental railroads, and interstate highways. It has been the party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, and the party of people who believe in both individual liberty and civil service.
It has not been the party of locking out the public interest for the profit of a private interest.
Civil service and personal ambition are both tremendous motivators, but they function best when balanced to protect the rights of everyone.
This election is one in which much doubt will be removed regarding the future of our party, and in which there will be no room for the leadership examples of both Theodore Roosevelt and Mitch McConnell. Roosevelt warned politicians “not to represent any special class and promote merely that class's selfish interests, but to represent all true and honest men of all sections and all classes.” It was good advice then, and it’s good advice now.
Republicans traditionally have been idealists, in that they believe in both the individual and in principles greater than the individual. But now, some in the party embrace the blame-politics of scapegoating and scoring points against political “enemies,” rather than working with others to do the good work of public service.
There’s no escaping that we’re living right at a turning point in American history.
This Republican primary is not just about public lands, or about the political philosophies of these two Montana candidates. It is about deciding who the party leaders should be and, by extension, what the character of the Republican Party will be for years to come. In the recurring history of primary elections, we have rarely had such an opportunity to choose our own future. We as voters should be prepared to meet that moment.
Bob Brown is a former Montana Secretary of State and state Senate president.

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