If they can’t make the Capitol rotunda ring with shouts of “Keep It Public,” public land proponents are hoping that they can make legislators’ phones ring. On Tuesday, public land and wildlife organizations held a virtual Rally for Public Lands online to try to drum up opposition to several bills, which together would take millions away from public land projects and initiatives, said Rachel Schmidt, former Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation director. “And there’s also a bill that would ...

A bill that would have tapped hunter license dollars to pay for elk damage to crops in areas well over population objectives and limited permits passed an initial vote in the House on Tuesday before being voted down in the appropriations committee. House Bill 697 from Rep. Joshua Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, would allow compensation only in hunting districts where elk populations are 200% over objective or more, and where the state limits elk hunting permits. Kassmier brought an amendment to the ...

April 6, 2021 Speaker Wylie GaltMontana State House of RepresentativesState Capitol1301 E. Sixth Ave.Helena, MT 59601 RE: Montana Sporting Coalition opposition to HB 697 Dear Speaker Galt and House members, The Montana Sporting Coalition is made up of traditional hunting and fishing organizations that collectively have thousands of members throughout the state and nation. We include general wildlife and sporting groups, species-specific organizations and fishing organizations. We are deeply ...

News for Immediate ReleaseMarch 31, 2021Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org President Biden unveils multi-trillion-dollar roadmap for investing in natural resources and creating jobs WASHINGTON – A massive, multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan released today by the Biden administration would make targeted investments in systems and economic sectors important to the conservation of U.S. public lands and waters and citizens’ opportunities to access and ...