Almost 60 years ago, the U.S. government, blinded by hubris, began work on the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Never heard of it? That’s because President Richard Nixon, seeing it for the financial and ecological monstrosity that it was, halted the project in 1971 before it was halfway completed. All that remains of the bad idea is Rodman Dam, completed in 1968 to raise water levels enough to make the canal usable. The Rodman Dam blocked the free flow of the incredible Ocklawaha River, inundated ...

A bill in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee would add penalties for criminal trespassing while collecting antlers, sheds, or horns. Rep. Jill Cohenour, D-East Helena, is sponsoring House Bill 548, which would add language to protect private property owners specifically from hunters trespassing to collect antler sheds. “It’s essentially saying that we are not going to monetize the location of our great wildlife resources in the state of Montana,” Cohenour said. “It’s good ...

Last Thursday, two freshman students from the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers club at the University of Montana skipped class and braved single-digit temperatures to attend the Rally for Public Lands hosted by a coalition or organizations with a shared commitment to keep public lands public and accessible, to defend habitat conservation funding and to uphold our outdoor heritage. Claire McAtee and Joe Graff listened to speakers Mariah Gladstone, Cole Mannix, Hannah Muszkiewicz, and Ryan ...

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 ...

Fifteen percent of the available big game combination licenses would be set aside for nonresidents owning a minimum of 2,500 acres under a bill designed to spread out hunting pressure and reward landowners. House Bill 635, sponsored by Rep. Joshua Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, had its first hearing on Thursday before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee in Helena. The measure would also allow landowners to purchase an additional bonus point to increase their odds of drawing a hunting ...