We’re entering the final stretch of Montana’s legislative session, which is where the majority of our time and focus has been this year. That said, there are things happening outside of Helena too! Here’s our quarterly update and newsletter from your volunteer chapter leaders at Montana BHA.  Legislative & Policy Update  If you missed our mid-session recap, give it a read. But much of that is already outdated, and many bills have died. We’ll be providing an in-depth recap at the end of ...

April 3, 2023    MT Senate President Jason Ellsworth  State Capitol  1301 E. Sixth Ave.  Helena, MT 59601    RE: Sportsman, Landowner, & Outfitter Support for SB 442, as currently amended    Dear Senator Ellsworth:  Senate Bill 442 from Senator Mike Lang (R-Malta) was amended in Senate Finance and Claims on March 30th to restore funding for Montana’s premier conservation program, Habitat Montana, as well as expand the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program as founded by former Representative ...

Montanans have long fought to make sure that hunting is available for all, equitably, and not just reserved for the wealthy and well-connected. This is so important that when many of us agreed to join – and some of us helped start – the Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition (MCEMC), we made sure that this was paramount to our many goals. The group agreed, to the point that the 'Who We Are' page of the website states, succinctly: "we are a diverse group of Montana hunters who seek to ...

A package of bills reforming hunting and access programs are advancing through the Legislature — the product of negotiations between outfitters and public hunter groups aimed at finding common ground. The six bills, first announced at “Elk Camp at the Capitol” early in the session, are endorsed by the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association and Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition. Each bill passed its respective chamber to meet procedural deadlines and remain viable this session. ...

After a new mining company recently announced that it intends to develop a rare-earth metals mine in the headwaters of the Bitterroot River, the Bitterroot National Forest issued a statement saying it hadn’t received a mining application from the company. At the end of January, U.S. Critical Materials Corp. announced it had discovered "the highest-grade (rare-earth element) deposit in the United States" among its 223 mining claims near the confluence of Sheep Creek and the West Fork of the ...