Public needs to help police access sites

LAKE FIVE UPDATE: A month ago I wrote a column about local landowners opposing a public boat access on Lake Five.

That information stirred up a hornet's nest of public interest and comments to Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The agency has received more than 100 letters and calls, with the vast majority supporting the need for public access to Lake Five.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks also received a petition signed by 1,000 people in support of public access to Lake Five.

My thanks to you who became involved. Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials are now sorting through the comments and preparing to make a decision.

I also received telephone calls from some of you supporting and opposed to public access to Lake Five.

I want to commend those landowners who called me. While neither they nor I changed our minds, we did have very good discussions. That's the way a democracy should work. We can disagree, but don't have to get into a shouting or shooting match.

Landowners opposed to public access on Lake Five made some valid points, which I've conveyed to Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The agency seems to get development and construction funds easier than maintenance funds. As a result, public developments such as lake and river access sites do not get appropriate levels of management and patrolling.

Without proper patrolling and supervision, lake and river access sites tend to be gathering places for beer parties and other illegal activities. I once heard our sheriff say he would never send just one officer to the Steel Bridge access site after dark due to illegal drug activities.

That is a terrible state of affairs. Fish, Wildlife and Parks tries to counter this by having a host campsite at major lake and river access sites. This around-the-clock presence of a public official tends to discourage inappropriate use. Unfortunately host campsites are usually occupied only during the summer. So there is lots of opportunity for improper conduct during spring and fall.

While we can lament the lack of proper enforcement, the reality is that there never will be adequate enforcement funding for either the sheriff's office or game wardens. There is even the question about the legal authority of game wardens to enforce underage drinking on public land.

We, as members of the public, need to help enforcement agencies by being their ears and eyes. Since most of us carry cell phones, we can easily report illegal activities.

You don't want to confront those participating in those illegal activities, just report what you see. Getting license numbers is usually very helpful.

A few years ago I observed illegal jet skiing on a no-wake lake. I jumped into my boat and politely informed the participants this lake was closed to high-speed boating. They thanked me for the information.

But over the next hour or so, their illegal activity resumed. So I used my camcorder and recorded their activity. I then called a game warden, who stopped the jet skiing and issued a ticket.

They failed to show up for their court hearing, but I did. They were fined several hundred dollars and haven't been back to this lake since.

Members of the public must be proactive in policing public lands and public activities.

Sportsmen Meeting: If you are a hunter, don't miss tonight's meeting at Fish, Wildlife and Parks headquarters on Meridian Road. Starting time is 7 p.m. Jim Posewitz, Montana's leading spokesman on preserving our hunting heritage, will present a program titled, "The Public Trust: Preserving the Commons." Larry Copenhaver from the Montana Wildlife Federation will present a co-program about threats to hunting in the new Missoula River Breaks National Monument. See you there!