Thanks to your hard work, Montana’s premier conservation and access program, Habitat Montana, was fully restored.
HB 5, the state capital improvement budget, passed the House in a final vote on Friday and is heading to Gov. Bullock for his signature. The bill includes Habitat Montana, a program paid for by hunter license dollars that provides funding for conservation projects.
For over two decades Habitat Montana has protected working farms and ranches through conservation easements, and allowed Montana to buy key parcels from willing sellers, securing hunting access and fishing sites. The 2015 Montana Legislature put a rider on the state budget that barred future purchase of land. Thanks to calls and emails from you and many other MWF members, legislators ended that restriction in this year’s budget.
Thank you for responding to all of MWF’s calls-to-action. And we also owe a big thanks to the coalition of hunting and angling organizations that came together this session to make restoring Habitat Montana the top priority in the 2017 Legislature. Working together, we are ensuring that future generations will also experience the hunting, fishing, and other great outdoor recreation we enjoy today.
We’re down to the final days of the 2017 Legislature, and this past week was a good one for wildlife and habitat in our state.
Habitat Montana on track
Habitat Montana, the state’s premier conservation tool to protect vital habitat and provide access for hunters and anglers, cleared another hurdle last week. The program is included in HB 5, the state’s capital improvements bill, and last week it passed out of the Senate.
HB 5 was amended in the Senate and has to go back to the House for concurrence. If it does, the bill will be heading to the governor for his signature. Montana’s hunters and anglers will again be able to acquire quality wildlife habitat, and will gain access to those lands as well as adjoining public lands for hunting.
Constitutional referendum fails
SB 236 would have put before Montana voters a constitutional amendment that created a right to hunt, fish and trap. While Montanans overwhelmingly support our outdoors traditions, the measure was fraught with legal problems that could have affected private property rights, the ability of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to differentiate between resident and non-resident hunters for license pricing, and the ability for state biologists to manage big game, birds and fish.
The measure requires 100 votes, and earlier in the session received 30 votes in the Senate. It hit the House floor after a 10-9 vote in the Judiciary Committee, but was amended and only received 48 votes for it. A motion to reconsider SB 236 came up on Thursday, but it went down even harder in a 38-62 vote.
Habitat bill amended
A bill that brought together landowners, hunters, counties and others, HB 434, was amended for the worse this week. The bill would have allowed FWP to work on habitat improvement projects on public and private land, including weed treatment. Any project would have to be approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, and would have required matching dollars. But the Senate Fish and Game committee amended into the bill large sections of HB 651. That was a bad bill that would have gutted Habitat Montana, and created a redundant access specialist position that already exists. The bill is heading back to the Senate and could go to a conference committee, where it will hopefully be restored to a good bill that benefits habitat.
Deer permits, outfitter check in and more
In other bills, SB 171 that would have limited the ability for FWP to issue unlimited deer permits to manage harvest was table in the House FWP committee. SB 185 that would have allowed an outfitter to report clients’ game animals died in House FWP. Several other bills that have been broad consensus measures are making their way to the governor.
Winding down
The Legislature is taking a four day break over the Easter holiday, and will be back on Tuesday. It will be working to finish the state operating budget (HB 2) and working to get an infrastructure improvement bill passed. It’s close to the finish.
As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org/billtracker for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.
With much of eastern Montana under private ownership, quality public land around the Billings area is highly valued by hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts. Grant Marsh, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks public Wildlife Management Area located 50 miles southeast of Billings near Hardin, provides public hunting and fishing opportunities to thousands of Montanans.
The wildlife management area, nestled alongside the Big Horn River and surrounded by agricultural lands, provides hunting opportunity for white-tailed deer, pheasant, sharp-tail grouse and waterfowl. On the many occasions I’ve gone searching for a September grouse, I have also come across families taking advantage of the area to introduce their young children to fishing.
Now we have a chance to build on this great area to benefit all Montanans. Montana FWP is proposing to use Habitat Montana dollars to purchase 425 acres to add on to the Grant Marsh WMA. Habitat Montana uses sportsmen’s dollars to acquire conservation easements, leases and select purchases suitable for game, bird, fish restoration, propagation or protections and for public hunting, fishing or trapping areas.
The proposed 425 acres borders the south end of the current 141 acre WMA, creating a large block of wildlife habitat. If approved, the pieced-together parcels would create the largest block of public land along the Bighorn River and provide a boat launch, ponds, hunting opportunities and wildlife habitat for thousands of Montanans to enjoy.
Quality public wildlife habitat that provides hunting and fishing opportunities in eastern Montana is becoming rarer. We have a unique opportunity to increase public land, water and access while providing quality habitat for future generations to enjoy. Having places open to the public where future generations can go to experience the best of what of Montana has to offer is something we can all get behind.
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the purchase this week, and it goes to the State Land Board for final approval on Monday, April 17. We are hopeful our public officials see the value in adding to our wildlife and public lands heritage and approve this worthy project.
John Bradley is the Eastern Montana Field Representative for the Montana Wildlife Federation. Contact him at jbradley@mtwf.org
As we move into the final weeks of the 2017 Legislature efforts are again underway in the state Capitol to gut Montana’s most successful habitat protection and public access program, Habitat Montana.
Sportsmen, Conservationists Defeat Bad Habitat Montana Bill
HB 651 was heard two weeks ago in the House Natural Resources committee, where it didn’t receive a single supporter but had a dozen wildlife conservation groups oppose it. It’s a testament to the strong support for Habitat Montana as well as the unified voice of Montana’s conservation and sportsmen’s groups.
The bill would have changed the primary purpose from habitat conservation to securing access easements to public land. It also would have been duplicative by creating a new position in state government that in fact already exists: an access specialist.
HB 651 was passed out last Wednesday following a special committee hearing that morning, but it died on the floor in a 53-47 vote. Thanks to all the MWF volunteers and conservation partners who spoke up to kill this bad bill.
Constitutional Referendum
SB 236, would send a referendum to Montana voters to establish constitutional right to hunt, fish and trap. While MWF has an 81 year history of standing up for the right of Montanans to hunt, trap, and fish, we have concerned about language in the measure for the legal consequences it could have for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, hunters, anglers and trappers, and private landowners. Something this important needs to be written carefully to protect the interests of all wildlife stakeholders.
SB 236 passed out of the Senate in a 30 to 20 vote, and because it requires 100 votes from the entire Legislature will need 70 votes in the House. It will be heard in House Judiciary 8 a.m. Monday, April 3 in Room 137.
State Parks Separation Bill Passes
HB 324 would let the board that governs parks directly hire the supervisor of Montana State Parks, instead of having that supervisor report to the director of Montana FWP. Taking away the FWP director’s authority would fragment decision making, and the bill could have implications for federal hunting and fishing equipment excise taxes that affect the entire FWP budget. The bill passed the Senate late last week and is heading to the governor. MWF will ask for a veto on this bill.
10 Percent Bill
The bill that would guarantee non-residents 10 percent of all special permits for deer, elk and antelope died on the House floor last week in a 53-47 vote. Currently non-resident hunters are capped at 10 percent, and have an equal chance in drawing until that threshold is reached. The bill, HB 568, would have made the 10 percent a guaranteed floor, and would have meant a separate drawing for non-resident hunters.
Looking Ahead
This week the Habitat Montana program will likely be in the spotlight as we begin to work on HB 5, the state capital improvements funding bill that includes the habitat conservation program. We will also likely have the House Judiciary hearing on SB 236, the constitutional referendum.
As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.
Another busy week for wildlife wrapped up Friday, and things heated up as legislators heard a bill that would gut Montana’s premier habitat and access program, Habitat Montana. Here is the rundown of last week and a look ahead as we sprint toward the finish line of the 2017 Legislature.
Habitat Montana in the cross hairs
Habitat Montana would be destroyed under HB 651. The bill would prioritize projects that provide access to existing public lands and make it much harder for habitat purchases. It was heard Friday in the House Natural Resources committee and passed out of committee. The bill had no proponents, and numerous conservation and sportsman’s organizations spoke against it, but it still passed.
On a positive note, HB 5, which contains Habitat Montana, passed out of the House and moved over to the Senate this week. The bill remains clean, meaning it will restore the ability of FWP to purchase key habitat. We’ll continue monitoring this bill to ensure this key program is full restored to benefit wildlife, hunters and recreationists.
Non-resident permits
Another bill, HB 568, would guarantee non residents a set 10 percent of special draw elk, deer and antelope tags. Numbers from FWP showed it would result in 144 fewer deer and elk licenses for residents, including in some really coveted districts, as well as several hundred cow elk B tags. It passed out of the House FWP committee.
State Parks bill dies
HB 454 is one of two state parks bill that would result in major changes in how the parks are run. It would move the department over to the state Department of Commerce. It’s part of this push to get parks out of FWP, but makes little sense. The bill died on the House floor on Friday in a 49-50 vote.
Licensing bills consolidated
SB 119 revamps the categories of nonresident relative of a resident tags that they can get a half price license for. It adds in deer only and elk only, instead of requiring a combination license. It was amended to include half price deer and elk B licenses for nonresident college students as part of a compromise. That helped us table HB 315 and HB 318, both of which would have started to chip away at the hard work done two years ago on the licensing bill that cleaned up all the free and reduced priced licenses.
FWP operating budget
HB 2 began to be heard in the Senate Finance committee. It contains the operating budget for FWP and thus far is pretty much intact. It will need amendments to clean up the use of Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax funds to pay for game wardens. That will have to take place in the Senate.
Looking ahead, wilderness releases and public access
Next week we have HJ 9, the resolution that would release seven Wilderness Study Areas. We also have our roadblocked bill, SB 358, in Senate Highways and Transportation. This bill would bump up the current $10 per day fine for gating a county road to up to $250 per day. It should be another busy week.
As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.
Jeff Lukas
Conservation Director
Jeff Lukas is a passionate conservationist who has been fishing and hunting his entire life. Whether it’s floating a small stream chasing trout, pursuing elk in the high country, or waiting in a blind for ducks to set their wings, Jeff is always trying to bring more people afield to show them what we are trying to protect. He loves being in the arena, and he will never shy away from conversations about the beautiful and unique corners of Big Sky country.
