March 13, 2024
Bureau of Land Management
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
920 NE Main St,
Lewistown, MT 59457
Rachel Miller, [email protected]
Re: Left Coulee Access Environmental Assessment
Dear Ms. Miller -
On behalf of the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and our roughly 3,000 dues-paying members, please consider the below comments outlining our support for the Proposed Action - the creation and a seasonal opening of the proposed Left Coulee Access Road.
Our members care deeply about this 90,000-acre Bullwhacker area in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, as it touts exceptional habitat for - and opportunities to hunt - a multitude of wild game, including elk, mule deer, pronghorn, sage grouse, and upland birds. It’s an area that’s both important to protect, and for our members to access.
BHA is a habitat conservation organization first and foremost. We unapologetically prioritize non-motorized access and opportunities and the conservation of wild lands and waters, though we recognize the need for reasonable motorized public access. To that end, we recognize that this 0.6-mile primitive route would restore legal motorized public access to a network of 51 miles of existing and currently open motorized roads.
If the area lacked legal motorized routes, Montana BHA would likely advocate that it remains that way; but since the roads within Bullwhacker are already open to motorized use and utilized exclusively by adjacent private landowners and those willing to pay for privileged access, we feel it only right that this opportunity be restored for members of the public as well. We look forward to revisiting the road densities during the next Travel Management Plan revision.
As outlined in the Proposed Action, closing the access road to mechanized and motorized use between December 1 and June 15 would balance the need for public access while providing for seasonal habitat protections and giving wintering wildlife a break. For the hunting opportunities still open during this closure, the area would be open and accessible via foot or horseback; walk-in access would remain.
While outside the scope of this EA and purpose and need for action, we remain concerned with the potential of illegal motorized use in this area, including e-bikes. As the EA states, “off-route travel is prohibited in the UMRBNM and the Monument is designated as a ‘limited’ travel area meaning that motorized and mechanized travel is limited to designated routes.” We ask the BLM to consider better signage and maps, physical barriers, and enforcement in the area. Montana BHA is willing to help with all three either via organized volunteer service days and/or advertising our illegal OHV use rewards program where public land owners are eligible for a $500 reward for information that leads to a conviction or citation resulting from blatantly illegal OHV use.
In closing, we support the Proposed Action - the creation and a seasonal opening of the proposed Left Coulee Access Road.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment,
Jake Schwaller, Billings, MT
Eastern Conservation Policy Leader (volunteer)
The Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
About Jake Schwaller
Hunter, fisher, lawyer, lover of my home state.