On Thursday, February 22, hundreds of hunters and anglers gathered on the steps of the State Capitol in Helena, Montana. Huddled around propane heaters amid subzero temperatures, we’d come to protest a slew of newly-introduced bills that threaten the state’s hard-won culture of fair-minded access to hunting, fishing, and public lands. If passed, the legislative measures would restrict entry to public lands, siphon money away from critical conservation programs, threaten the state’s cherished ...

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is close to publishing a draft document for the Fish Creek State Park and Wildlife Management Area. But don’t call it a management plan — it’s a “recreation strategy.” On Tuesday night at FWP Region 2 headquarters, more than 60 people listened to FWP Region 2 supervisor Randy Arnold and University of Montana facilitator Charles Besancon provide an outline of the recreation strategy for the 45,000-acre Fish Creek complex near Alberton Gorge, a draft of ...

The thermometer read -3°, the wind chill -20°. The roads were icy and snow-covered. Nobody wants to stand outside in conditions like that. But our public lands and conservation funding were on the line. On February 23, 2023, hundreds of public land owners, hunters, hikers, anglers and outdoor conservationists gather at the Capitol in Helena to rally for our public lands. From across the state, people braved the winter conditions to hear speakers remind us and our elected officials why our ...

For two years without success, Rep. Marty Malone, R-Pray, has attempted to draw a landowner preference tag to shoot cow elk on his property in the Paradise Valley. In the Montana Legislature on Thursday he introduced a bill to reduce the amount of land needed to qualify for the tags from 640 acres to 160. No one spoke in favor of the measure, House Bill 600, during the Thursday hearing before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee. Kevin Farron, representing the Montana Chapter ...

On Thursday in Helena, hundreds of people braved below-zero temperatures and snow showers to “Rally for Public Lands” at the State Capitol. This was the fifth legislative session that conservation organizations have held the Rally for Public Lands. “Let's sort of make sure that our legislators are aware how important our public lands are economically and for our outdoor quality of life, and make sure that as they're doing their business during the session that they prioritize our access and ...