LETTER: Bullock's plan ensures future for hunting

Montanans are hunters and anglers. It’s what we do. It’s how we fill our freezers, and some of the best time we spend all year with family and friends.

The numbers bear this out. Montana has the highest number of people in the country who buy a hunting and/or fishing license. It’s helped us maintain our world-class wildlife populations and fisheries. We’re truly blessed.

Any Montana hunter or angler will say that our public lands play a huge role in our outdoor heritage. We enjoy these world class fish and wildlife populations in the mountains, forests, prairies and streams of our incredible state.

That’s why Gov. Bullock’s public lands and access agenda is so important to our future as Montana hunters and anglers. The plan calls for protecting our public lands from efforts to take over and eventually sell it off, ensuring the public can get to public lands, and encouraging others to come enjoy our natural wonders. At the same time, Bullock supports sound forest management and has stepped up with efforts like the “Forests in Focus” initiative to conduct thinning and restoration in key areas near communities.

First and foremost is protecting our federal public lands. Proponents of the idea to “transfer” these lands to state management paint a rosy picture of generating revenue for state coffers, continued public access for hunting and fishing, and better forest health. Sounds too good to be true – and that’s because it is.

Our national forests have a mandate for multiple use – and that includes considering wildlife habitat and clean streams, along with resource development. State lands have a mandate to generate revenue for our public education system. We don’t want federal lands managed like state lands. And of course, a big fire year would be a budget buster for the state – and require either massive state tax increases or a sale of lands.

Bullock has consistently stood up against these efforts and pledged to continue to do so. Without these lands, everyday Montanans would lose their favorite elk hunting spot or trout stream. And private land hunters would lose out too, because wildlife comes from these areas onto private farms and ranches.

Second, the access component. Montana has struggled in recent years as some people have gated public roads that lead to public land. It cuts off large swaths of public land for hunters, anglers and hikers, turning some of these areas into exclusive playgrounds for a few.

To address the problem, Bullock has proposed to create an access specialist position who can investigate cases of people blocking public roads that access public land. This can help when these closures are challenged.

Third, Bullock has proposed to fully restore the popular Habitat Montana program, which uses hunter license dollars to buy or protect through easement vital wildlife habitat throughout the state. The program is one of our greatest conservation success stories, yet the last Legislature restricted its use to projects already in the works. We need Habitat Montana to protect habitat as well as provide access for hunters, wildlife watchers and others.

Finally, Bullock has proposed to create a position to promote our outdoor recreation economy. As Montanans we know that our public lands add incredibly to our quality of life. But they also help bring people to our state, adding an important element to our state’s overall economy.

Bullock’s plan will help us maintain our incredible outdoor heritage while boosting our state’s economy. Future generations will thank us for having such foresight.

Mark Sweeney, of Philipsburg, is a two-term county commissioner from Anaconda/Deer Lodge County and a board member of the Montana Wildlife Federation.