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Montana Hunters.....We Need Your Help

Schaaf

Schaaf

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
4,587
Location
Glasgow, MT
In Region 7 there is a Conservation Easement that goes before the Land Board on Feb. 20th. The easement would open hunting to 15,300 acres for hunting that have been leased out for the last couple decades and closed to public access. The parcel contains everything under the sun when it comes to wildlife: mule deer, whitetail deer, occasional elk, occasional bighorn sheep, turkeys, sharp tails, sage grouse, pheasants, coyotes, and lions. As well as those pesky non game animals.

As of now this easement will not pass the Land Board. Rosendale, Stapleton, and Arntzen are definite No's on the vote. We need emails of support to get this over the finish line. Send comments of support to [email protected] Copy and past that comment to FWP as well to [email protected]

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Below is the link for the Environmental Assessment of the Easement.


http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/conservationEasements/pn_0033.html
 
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Done, this is an important easement on many levels. Please take 2 minutes to flood them with emails.
 
Got a direct email for Rosendale?

His Senate Campaign website says:

"Support Greater Access to our Public Lands
During my service on Montana’s land board, I’ve shown that I will work to expand access to public lands for hunters, anglers and others who simply want to enjoy Montana’s great outdoors. I’ll do the same in the Senate. "

I'd like to contact him directly and let him know that a no vote on this easement will mean a no vote from me in November.
 
I am not familiar with what conservation easements typically cost, so hopefully someone more familiar with them can chime in. I am surprised to see that the cost of the easement is over $6 million. I would guess that is about what the whole place is worth. It seems like an easement should be half the price or less of what the land is actually worth, but maybe this is typical with easements. That being said, I hope it goes through.
 
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bigsky2 said:
I am not familiar with what conservation easements typically cost, so hopefully someone more familiar with them can chime in. I am surprised to see that the cost of the easement is over $6 million. I would guess that is about what the whole place is worth. It seems like an easement should be half the price or less of what the land is actually worth, but maybe this is typical with easements. That being said, I hope it goes through.
Click to expand...

The price of that easement is due to the cost of "access" portion. In lands like these, the largest values are found in the public access part. If the easement did not allow for public access and merely protection of the land from development, the cost would be far, far less.

MT FWP easements require access. That is why these FWP easements are more expensive than most open space easements and those easements that only deal with development rights. And, the legislature is against outright deed purchases and they claim to prefer easements. With this project, I guess we will see if some actually prefer easements, or if that is the straw man in their anti-public access defense.
 
This goes to the Fish & Wildlife Commission this week. If folks have a chance to send comments there, please do so as well, or attend one the commission meeting if at all possible on the 15th. You can offer testimony on this, and all other items open for comment, at your regional office as well as through the usual channels or showing up to the commission meeting in person.

http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/insideFwp/commission/meetings/agenda.html?meetingId=43561662

Email for the F&W Commission: [email protected]
 
As an avid public land user and hunter the proposal looks good to me....what are some of the reasons the land board doesn't want to go through with this?
 
Sent this:
Many of us choose to live in Montana because of the outstanding opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Yes, we could make more money and enjoy shorter winters elsewhere, but the tradeoffs are well worth it. Access to the Great Outdoors makes it the best place to live and raise a family. Over the past 30 years, I have seen access to the outdoors rapidly erode to development and to leased lands that lock out the rank-and-file Montana family. If we do nothing, we will continue to suffer these losses, one after another. If we want to pass on our outdoor heritage, we must act. That is why I am strongly supporting the Horse Creek Complex Conservation Easement. Politicians talk a good game about protecting freedom and access, but this is an example of how the job is actually done. Let's put our money where our heart is, and protect Montana's freedoms. For our kids and grandkids.
 
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