Proposal aims to shake up state parks

On the heels of a bill to remove most of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ authority over the state parks system, a second measure has been introduced into the Montana House that would move the division entirely into the Department of Commerce.

The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on House Bill 454, introduced by Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman.

White cited the recent, unexplained ouster of former parks division administrator Chas Van Genderen and the role of Montana’s state parks within the state’s growing tourism economy as reasons for bringing the division under a department that oversees the state’s promotion of state tourism and industry.

But the 156-page bill drew criticism from both the commerce and wildlife departments, with administration officials arguing that the move would create millions of dollars in added costs and place the division within a department that lacks the type of maintenance and law-enforcement experience needed to administer Montana’s 55-unit park system.

Less than a month into her new job as Director of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Martha Williams told committee members that parks “fits squarely within” her department’s mission. She also acknowledged the need to address tensions between the parks division and the rest of the wildlife-focused department.

“It’s past time to turn this narrative around, into the positive narrative that it is,” Williams said. “Moving parks may create a splash, but it creates more problems than it solves.”

The state’s fight against aquatic invasive species, she added, requires cooperation with officials at the state’s parks — half of which are located on or near lakes and rivers.

Doug Mitchell, the Department of Commerce’s interim director, told the committee that White’s proposal would create a bureaucratic “mis-match” and require the addition of new support staff to handle a near-doubling of the department’s level of staff.

“We handle housing projects like champs, but would be out of our depth immediately in becoming a criminal justice agency having regulatory and enforcement authority over a diverse and significant set of issues outside our area of expertise,” Mitchell said.

White argued that with the wide range of issues facing the state’s fish and wildlife officials, including invasive mussels and game-animal management, the department already has enough on its plate. He also discounted the contention that the move would undermine parks’ ability to continue partnering with Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff, noting that the department already works closely on invasive mussels with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

“All these agencies need to work together, but I really believe that parks needs to be elevated,” White said, noting the park system’s visitation has increased by nearly 40 percent in the last 10 years. “We have a strategic plan for our parks. All we need to do is start implementing it.”

As with testimony on House Bill 324, which would vest administrative and spending authority with the state Board of Parks and Recreation, conservation organizations sided against White’s measure while some recreation groups supported it.

Jim Brown, representing Citizens for Balanced Use, told lawmakers that State Parks’ current role within the department is “subservient to the hunting and fishing portion of their mission.”

Colin Cooney, field coordinator with Montana Trout Unlimited, noted that many of the state’s parks were purchased with federal money that requires the land be managed for fish and/or wildlife purposes.

Removing those lands from the state wildlife department, opponents argued, could jeopardize $28 million in land holdings that could have to be paid back to the federal government.

“This large document shows just how tied fish and wildlife are to parks and how complex this transfer would be,” Cooney said, referring to the more than 100 pages of language changes included within the bill.

The House committee did not immediately take a vote on the measure.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.