City Desk
- Details
- Category: City Desk
March 17, 2023
By Eric Tegethoff - Producer, Contact News
Big Sky Connection - Backers of six pieces of legislation in Helena from hunters and outfitters say they'd improve elk management in Montana, especially as non-resident hunters have put pressure on elk on public lands. Comments from Jim Vashro, Montana Wildlife Federation board member and president, Flathead Wildlife; and Mac Minard (meh-NARD), executive director, Montana Outfitters, and Guides Association.
Click on the image above for the audio. An increase in hunting has pushed some elk off public lands and onto private lands. (prochym/Adobe Stock)
Eric Tegethoff
March 17, 2023 - A package of bills in Helena is aimed at improving elk management in Montana. The six bills are bipartisan efforts from lawmakers, hunters and outfitters, and all have survived the Legislature's transmittal deadline outside their house of origin.
One is House Bill 635, which would set aside up to 15% of non-resident big game licenses for non-resident landowners so they can hunt on their own property.
Jim Vashro, president of Flathead Wildlife and a board member of the Montana Wildlife Federation, explained how usage is evolving and driving change.
"Montana has seen a real increase in hunting pressure by non-residents on publicly available land," Vashro pointed out. "This would move some segment of that hunting pressure onto private land, and ease up the competition on public land."
The measure had its first hearing in the Senate Thursday. The bill could remove more than 2,500 non-resident hunters from competing with Montanans on public lands. Some hunters and outfitters oppose it, saying it could reduce the number of big-game licenses available.
Mac Minard, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, said the bill is meant to entice owners of private land to open them to the public.
"Incentivizing landowners to participate in this can, in fact, open quite a bit of public access going forward," Minard contended.
Also in the package, House Bill 596 had its first Senate hearing Thursday. It provides some fixes to a popular incentive-based program passed in 2021, which also opens up private property to public hunting.
Minard noted the legislative package creates incremental benefits for elk management and lays the foundation for a good relationship between hunters and outfitters.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to stand side-by-side with dedicated sportsmen from all aspects of the Montana sporting community, and move forward in a collaborative effort on things that we can agree on," Minard remarked.
The Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition and Montana Outfitters and Guides Association developed the bills in early January during the "Elk Camp at the Capitol" event. It is the first legislative collaboration between hunters and outfitters in 15 years.
| Best Practices |
- Details
- Category: City Desk
Click on the image above for the audio.
PNS - Friday, March 17, 2023 - The Senate moves to formally end the Iraq and Gulf Wars, public health advocates brace for a potential ban on abortion medication, and GOP-led states step up work to restrict mail-in voting.
- Details
- Category: City Desk
March 16, 2023
By Eric Tegethoff - Producer, Contact News
Big Sky Connection - The Prairie Potholes region stretches from Montana to Iowa and is an important habitat for duck populations. An influx of federal funds will protect and restore the region. Comments from two representatives of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Joel Webster, vice president of Western conservation, based in Missoula; and Christy Plumer (PLUMM-er), chief conservation officer.
Click on the image for the audio. The Prairie Potholes region is considered some of the most important waterfowl habitats in North America. (DeVane/Adobe Stock)
Eric Tegethoff
March 16, 2023 - The Interior Department is investing funds in protecting what some call America's 'duck factory.'
The Prairie Potholes are marshes and wetlands that stretch from Montana to Iowa, created by glacier activity thousands of years ago.
The Inflation Reduction Act enabled the Interior Department to put $23 million toward conserving and restoring the region.
Joel Webster - vice president of Western conservation for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and based in Missoula - said the project gives financial incentive to landowners to protect the landscape in an area heavy on farming.
"If we don't act," said Webster, "there's going to be continued pressure to drain them, to fill them in, to make space for expanded agriculture."
Webster said the Prairie Potholes provide habitat for up to three quarters of the country's breeding ducks. He noted that the region is also an important source of clean drinking water.
Christy Plumer - chief conservation officer with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership - called this a once in a lifetime investment. She said a lot of places across the country, like the potholes, are need in of restoration, especially as the climate changes.
"We're really excited to see this added infusion of federal funds coming in to help thriving communities," said Plumer, "and provide new opportunities for hunting and fishing access."
The $23 million project is part of a larger $120 million investment to rebuild and restore units of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
| Best Practices |
- Details
- Category: City Desk
Click on the image for the audio.
PNS - Thursday, March 16, 2023 - The 41st state has opted into Medicaid which could be a lifeline for rural hospitals in North Carolina, homelessness barely rose in the past two years but the work required to hold the numbers increased, and destruction of the "Sagebrush Sea" from Oregon to Wyoming is putting protection efforts for an itty-bitty bunny on the map.
