LEARN MORE & SUBMIT YOUR OWN COMMENTS BY MARCH 21, 2024
February 22, 2024
Sonja Andersen, Wildlife Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
PO Box 938
Lewistown, MT 59457
[email protected]
Re: Stafford Ferry Conservation Easement Proposal
Ms. Andersen:
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 full support of the Stafford Ferry Conservation Easement located on the southern edge of the Missouri River Breaks.
Our members value wild places, quality habitat, public access and the fair-chase hunting and fishing opportunities these things provide. It should come as no surprise then how excited we are for this potential CE where mule deer, bighorn sheep and other wildlife are found. Conserving these sagebrush grasslands where native animals can thrive and providing public access and hunting opportunities in perpetuity are all things Montana BHA supports.
The CE will open to public access approximately 1,080 deeded acres along Whiskey Ridge & Stafford Ferry Roads, improving public access to this rugged country. Additionally, it will improve access to some 15,400 adjacent acres of existing state and federal public lands.
The Scoping Notice prepared by the Department highlights the perfect balance struck between the existing agricultural operation and public access for hunters and nature enthusiasts alike. We appreciate the requirement that all new fence construction must comply with FWP’s wildlife-friendly fencing guidelines.
The CE terms are both fair and generous from the perspective of both the landowners and the public. We thank the Henderson family for their $85,000 value donation, Northwestern Energy for contributing $50,000, and Wild Sheep Foundation for an additional $10,000. The remaining funds needed for this CE are a good use of the primarily hunter-funded Habitat Montana funds, and we encourage even more of this; easements like this help conserve wildlife habitat and open spaces, while keeping working lands in Montana.
In closing, this CE speaks to all things Montana BHA cares deeply about and we offer our full support to move forward with the Stafford Ferry Conservation Easement. We thank both the Department for facilitating this and the Henderson family for their willingness to conserve their lands and provide public access and hunting opportunity in perpetuity.
Sincerely,
Doug Krings, Lewistown, MT
Volunteer Regional Board Member
Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
LEARN MORE & SUBMIT YOUR OWN COMMENTS BY MARCH 21, 2024
About Doug Krings