The confluence of forces that created the checkerboard land ownership patterns that so vex many Montanans was not an overnight phenomenon. A slew of congressional acts, land transfers, lawsuits and governmental policies over the past 150 years all contributed to the uncertain, conflict-prone and impassioned debate surrounding corner-crossing — the act of passing from one parcel of public land to its kitty-corner neighbor.
Legal and political observers say they don’t expect quick fixes, but there’s no shortage of ideas that could establish a path forward so that recreationists, landowners, land managers and law enforcement officials can work out what constitutes fair play in a debate that implicates public access to more than eight million acres of “corner-locked” public land in the West.
Here are some potential solutions, along with their pros and cons, across the three branches of government:
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