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Wildlife

Montanans Speak Out: Don’t Giveaway our Public Lands!

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Representatives from the American Lands Council (ALC) spoke at the Swan Lake Community Center in Condon last Tuesday evening to push their agenda of transferring and selling our public lands – the lands where most of us hunt, fish, hike and otherwise enjoy the outoors. An overflow crowd of more than 100 people attended the meeting, and an overwhelming majority spoke against efforts to transfer or sell our unique public lands heritage.

ALC speakers blamed federal land management for wildfires, mountain pine beetles, increased crime rates in rural communities and even rape. (Seriously: One of the presenters claims that a woman was raped because the town where she lives had a “budgetary shortfall” from “lack of logging revenue” from public lands)

The ALC claims that states would do a better job of managing our public lands. But several studies and economic analyses conclude that states like Montana could not afford to manage all the lands now managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies. Plenty of precedence shows that states like Montana would most likely have to sell these lands to private interests. (The state of Idaho has already sold more than 40 percent of their state lands because they could not afford to manage it all.)

The ALC speakers presented half-truths, misconceptions and distortions, grossly oversimplifying and misrepresenting complex issues such as forest health, wildfire and wildlife management while dismissing sound, scientific research and ignoring we hunters, anglers, hikers and other local citizens who use, understand and cherish our public lands.

The American Lands Council and other industry-led efforts to sell or transfer our public lands insinuate that management decisions are dictated by bureaucrats from Washington DC. Actually, these decisions are made by local district rangers, foresters, engineers, wildlife biologists and other resource professionals who live and work in our communities — people who are our friends, family and neighbors. Their decisions are based, in large part, on local public needs, desires and input. Balance is achieved through the concepts of “multiple use,” or, as the first man Theodore Roosevelt appointed as Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, put it: “The greatest good for the greatest number of people.”

Efforts to sell and transfer our public lands are funded by out-of-state developers who would like to get hold of our lands for the sole purpose of unsustainable logging, mining, and vacation home development without safeguards to protect our fish, wildlife and wild places – safeguards brought about through the tireless efforts of we local hunters, anglers and others who enjoy public lands. The people behind the push to transfer and sell our public lands don’t really seek balance or compromise; they selfishly and greedily want it all. They don’t care about the health of our wildlife and wild places, and the hunting and angling opportunities they provide; they care only about profit. They’re not trying to find solutions to complex problems; they’re trying to rob us of our unique American heritage.

If the ALC truly wanted to support a “lawful, peaceful path to restore balance for a healthy environment, abundant outdoor recreation, and safe, vibrant communities,” they would not suggest selling and transferring public lands — they would, instead, support efforts such as the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project (BCSP). The BCSP is a locally-driven, grassroots collaborative effort to protect and enhance a variety of traditional land uses – including hunting, fishing, hiking, wilderness, logging and snowmobiling — in the Blackfoot and Clearwater Valleys while creating and maintaining jobs and helping local communities. It achieves true balance and protects and enhances true, traditional Montana values and activities.

It’s cooperative efforts like the BCSP that cut through the divisive rhetoric that often dominates discussions about public lands and achieve compromises and solutions that benefit us all. As the people of Condon made very clear last week — selling or transferring our public lands is not a viable or acceptable solution.

Thanks to all who defend our public lands legacy. As Theodore Roosevelt said of the public lands he so passionately fought to protect and defend: “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.”

Dave Stalling is Montana Wildlife Federation’s Western Field Rep. To reach him about the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project or other issues email him at dstalling@mtwf.org

Study Shows Backcountry Hunting Boosts Economy In Fergus and Petroleum Counties

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Lewistown, MT – Expenditures from hunting contribute significantly and sustainably to local economies, according to a new study released today by Headwater Economics, an independent, nonpartisan research group.

According to the study, big game hunting in 2015 accounted for nearly $4 million in economic expenditures in four different Fergus and Petroleum County hunting districts, with $3.8 million coming from elk hunting alone. Most of the expenditures by hunters were from HD 410, in Petroleum County, home to some of the larger blocks of prime roadless habitat on BLM land.

All four of the hunting districts include lands the BLM will address in the Resource Management Plan (RMP) the agency is currently working on for the Lewistown Field Office. The RMP will guide how the BLM manages these lands for the next 20 to 30 years. Local hunters, business owners, and conservationists are urging the BLM to keep certain places managed by the Lewistown office as they are, to ensure they remain productive wildlife habitat and a strong contributor to local economies.

“Hunters are filling up at our gas stations, eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, and they’re buying guns, ammunition and gear from my store,” says Charlie Pfau, owner of Don’s Store, a sporting goods store in Lewistown. “Like many businesses in our small town, mine largely depends on the public lands right in our backyard, which offers some of the best big game hunting you can find in the U.S.”

The four hunting districts include the Chain Buttes, Horse Camp Trail, and Dovetail Creek areas. Local hunters, business owners, and conservationists are asking the BLM to retain the wild character of these lands by prohibiting development, road proliferation, and resource extraction in these areas, as well as in Blood Creek, Arrow Creek, and Carter Coulee to ensure they too continue to be secure habitat for big game.

“These areas represent some of the most productive ungulate habitat anywhere in North America, and that’s because these areas are largely roadless and undeveloped,” says Bill Berg, a career employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and former deputy superintendent of the Charlie M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. “If we want to continue having big game populations that are this healthy, we need to keep these areas the way they are.”

The Headwaters Economics report shows that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recorded more than 25,000 elk hunter days in 2015 on the four Fergus County hunting districts. Of those days, seven percent overall were represented by non-residents, but expenditures by out-of-state hunters comprised about half the total. The study, which did not include figures for bird hunter days, indicates big game hunting provides a consistent and significant economic impact to the region from Montanans and non-residents alike. Additionally, the study cited research from the American Journal of Agricultural Economics showing that, “protected natural amenities—such as pristine scenery and wildlife—help sustain property values and attract new investment.”

“Our big game populations and wild backcountry are why we live in this area, and now we know they are crucial to our economy as well,” says Doug Krings, a local sportsman and member of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “We can’t urge the BLM enough to pay attention to this report and then make the kind of management decisions that will ensure our big game populations continue to thrive, so we too can continue to thrive.”

Economic Impacts of Elk Hunting In Hunting Districts 410, 412, 417, & 426

Floating Fish and a Sinking Economy:

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Yellowstone River Fish Kill Photo Credit: MT FWP

This summer, Montana’s world-renowned rivers and cold-water fisheries have experienced record low water flows and extreme high temperatures. This dangerous combination has caused hoot owl closures since June. Over the last few weeks, it has contributed to a dramatic fish die-off on the Yellowstone River.

By now, most people know that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) officials have completely closed 183 miles of the Yellowstone River to all public use due to a massive die-off caused by an outbreak of proliferative kidney disease (PKD). Research shows that PKD can kill between 20 to 100 percent of fish during an outbreak. Up to this point, outbreaks of PKD have been pretty rare outside of Europe. In the US, they have occurred in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, and the parasite that causes the disease has been found in two isolated spots in Montana.

FWP’s biologists have identified record low flows and high temperatures in the Yellowstone as key factors in the PKD outbreak. Research has shown that high water temperatures fuel PKD outbreaks by weakening fish and increasing the virulence of the PKD parasite.

The closure of the Yellowstone River is having dramatic impact on the local community and economy. Hopefully, the swift response from FWP will lead us on a path to recovery in this important fishery. And despite this incident, there are still plenty of incredible angling options in Montana for residents and visitors to enjoy.

At the same time, we need to recognize that the Yellowstone die-off foreshadows a bigger threat to Montana’s outdoor heritage: climate change. The low flows and high temperatures facing Montana rivers today are consistent with the effects of climate change, and representative of what most scientists expect will become the norm as our snowpack disappears and runoff happens earlier. Fisheries biologists have identified climate change as a significant threat to the aquatic environment and our fisheries.

If the current trend continues, hoot owl closures that limit our recreation are going to become the norm for Montana. And new pathogens that threaten our fish will become widespread. In fact, scientists have specifically cited PKD as a disease that will be aggravated by climate change.

In addition to threatening our outdoor heritage, these changes bear an economic cost. Last year, MWF commissioned a study that predicts – conservatively – a one-third decline in angling days over the next 40 years, with an economic loss of $49 million and 1,800 jobs, if nothing is done about climate change.

The Yellowstone fish die-off shows us that outdoor economy job losses due to climate change aren’t just numbers in a report. Incidents like this demonstrate the real, tangible impact climate change will have on real people and communities.

Our decision-makers need to take action on climate change to protect our fisheries, outdoor heritage, and outdoor economy. Common sense investments in reducing pollution and growing our renewable energy economy can reign in climate change. Protecting riparian habitat to keep our rivers cool and improving angler awareness about pathogens can help reduce the impacts that scientists are forecasting.

Montana is home to some of the best cold-water fisheries in the world. With continued scientific management of our rivers and common-sense action on climate change, future generations will be able to experience the trout fishing we enjoy today.

MWF commends the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for rejecting questionable elk hazing plan

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Elk in Shrub Photo Credit: Matt Patrias

The Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) commends the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission for rejecting a proposal that would have allowed hazing of elk perceived to have been exposed to brucellosis from other elk.

The proposal was a change to the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ annual elk brucellosis management plan, which lays out management actions in areas where brucellosis is prevalent in order to keep elk and cattle separated. Brucellosis, a domestic livestock disease introduced into elk herds, causes elk and livestock to abort their calves.

The new plan would have allowed hazing to keep separate elk herds, a move that hunters find impossible to implement and expensive, with almost no chance of being successful.

“Knowing which elk have not been exposed to brucellosis is a huge challenge in itself, realizing how many elk could be involved and how mobile elk can be,” testified Nick Gevock, MWF conservation director, at the Commission’s meeting. “And where would the funding come from to implement this plan?”

Fish and Wildlife Commissioners agreed that the plan had too many problems. They recognized that both the livestock industry and wildlife advocates share the goal of having wildlife on the landscape, a healthy agriculture industry and keeping the designated zone around Yellowstone National Park where cattle are monitored at its current size. Commissioners urged agricultural interests to reach out to the hunting community to continue working on solutions for this complicated issue.

“This is a complicated issue, but MWF is eager to work with Montana’s ranchers to find a way to protect their industry while also protecting the public’s big game,” said Gevock.

Let’s Honor Our Promises: Protect Sage-Grouse

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Sage Grouse. Photos by Bob Wick, BLM Photo Credit:Bob Wick, BLM

Montana’s sage-grouse season opens Sept. 1 and runs through the month, closing Sept. 30. The fact that there is a hunting season at all is a testament to the conservation work that has been done in Montana. Sage-grouse populations struggle when their habitat is fragmented. Impacts from energy development and the conversion of sagebrush steppe habitat to cropland are bigger threats than any of the bird’s natural predators. However, decades of efforts at monitoring sage grouse and conserving their habitat in Montana has paid off. Last August, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided the bird didn’t warrant listing on the Endangered Species List because of the ongoing conservation work in Montana and throughout their range.

Here in Montana, the sage brush habitat that the bird resides is also the habitat that produces our world class game. Mule deer, elk, antelope, and hundreds of non-game species rely on the same intact habitat. The unparalleled efforts of ranchers, conservation groups, federal land managers and the state working together on habitat conservation is the primary reason why we have kept the greater sage-grouse under state management. The state and federal plans have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and science, while ensuring the best path forward to achieving abundant populations of the bird and better management of our public lands. The plans for the Bureau of Land Management in the Billings, Hi Line and Miles City regions outline a comprehensive framework to guide future management decisions for all resource values and program areas, while addressing threats to the sage-grouse. The plans focus protections on the areas of highest importance to the species. They are being implemented with input from local working groups and in coordination with the Montana Sage Grouse Oversight Team.

While keeping the bird from being listed under the Endangered Species Act was a huge win for us all, it was only the starting point. Now, all the stakeholders in Montana that kept the bird from being listed a year ago, must follow through with the commitments we made to other western states and our partners in the federal government. We need to live up to our end of the bargain.

Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke have both criticized the BLM sage-grouse plans and called for funding cuts and delays. Montanans cannot afford to roll back all the work that has been done to protect and enhance the bird and its habitat. Instead of criticizing the BLM plans and setting them up to fail, we need to roll our sleeves and work together with creative ideas. If we succeed, we will be able to protect working farms and ranches and have hunting seasons for this iconic bird for years to come. That’s a win for us all.

John Bradley is Montana Wildlife Federation’s Eastern Field Rep. based in Billings. He can be reached at jbradley@mtwf.org

Jeff Lukas – MWF Elk Campaign Manager

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.