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Senator Tester Pushes Land Access Amendment For Montana’s Hunters & Anglers
Senator’s measure restores popular Open Fields initiative.

AmmoLand Gun News

U.S. SENATE --(Ammoland.com)- On the eve of big-game hunting season in Montana, Senator Jon Tester is pushing to improve voluntary access to land for Montana’s hunters and anglers.

Tester this week introduced an amendment that will restore the Open Fields initiative. Open Fields encourages owners and operators of private lands to voluntarily make their property accessible to the public for hunting or fishing.

Tester, chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, says that the loss of access to private land is the main reason Montana sportsmen and women stop hunting and fishing.

“Montana is world famous for our hunting and fishing, but we’re also known for our good neighbors who value the traditions of access to land and water,” Tester said. “This measure keeps Montanans working together to access some of the state’s best places to hunt, benefiting Montana’s outdoor heritage and our economy.”

Currently, 26 states have voluntary public access initiatives, but funding for Open Fields was removed from a recent Senate appropriations bill.

Tester’s amendment is supported by numerous sportsmen’s organizations, including the National Rifle Association, the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited.

“Diminishing access to hunting land is the primary reason many Americans are forced to give up hunting,” said Christopher Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “Reinstatement of the Open Fields program will encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch and forestland to voluntarily make those lands accessible to hunters and sportsmen. This will help increase hunter retention and help preserve America’s hunting heritage.”

“Keeping the dialogue open between Montana’s private landowners and sportsmen and women is vital,” said Gayle Joslin of the Helena Hunters and Anglers. “We appreciate Senator Tester going to bat for Open Fields in order to maintain our conservation legacy and our commitment to accessible lands for our hunters and anglers.”

Open Fields – formally known as the Voluntary Public Lands Access and Habitat Incentive – is run by the U.S. Farm Service Agency along with state and tribal governments. It offers competitive grants to states and tribal governments to expand private land access through easements.

Outdoor recreation represents a $2.5 billion-per-year industry in Montana. Tester recently held a public hearing in Bozeman on the value of public lands where he heard from Montana’s sportsmen and women.

Tester’s amendment is available online HERE.

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Federal Court Upholds National Roadless Rule – Sportsmen Celebrate Conservation Victory
Decision by appeals court resolves uncertainty regarding 2001 rule, safeguards the prime habitat provided by inventoried roadless lands.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON --(Ammoland.com)- The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today commended a decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule as the law governing 49 million acres of inventoried roadless areas located on the nation’s national forests and grasslands.

The ruling overturned a lower district court’s decision enjoining the 2001 rule in August 2008 and resolved uncertainty about federal management of roadless areas across America.

The so-called “roadless rule” is a multiple-use national forest management regulation that was designed to limit road building and timber harvest on undeveloped public lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The rule determines the management of all national forest roadless areas outside of Idaho.

“Today’s decision affirmed the value of backcountry areas in sustaining healthy and secure habitat for fish and wildlife – something hunters and anglers have known for years,” said Joel Webster, director of the TRCP Center for Western Lands.

“Sound roadless conservation policies safeguard big-game habitat security, productive trout and salmon fisheries and our sporting traditions. The 2001 roadless rule is a strong mechanism for conserving America’s backcountry recreational activities and outdoor heritage.”

The TRCP has mobilized a broad cross-section of sportsmen, conservationists and recreationists supporting conservation of roadless areas and the outdoor opportunities they foster. For purposes of the rule, roadless areas are defined as contiguous blocks of backcountry public land that are 5,000 acres or larger and do not have improved roads.

While access is important to sportsmen, densely roaded areas have been shown to negatively affect elk and deer behavior, reproduction and survival and consequently hunter opportunity. Excessive, poorly located roads contribute to increased sediment loads in waterways that are important to wild trout and salmon, thereby diminishing the number and size of fish.

“We appreciate the dedication of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in upholding this popular land management policy,” said TRCP President and CEO Whit Fosburgh, “and we applaud the court’s decision as one made in the absolute best interest of our public-lands fish and wildlife populations and outdoor recreation.

“As the 2011 fall hunting season continues, sportsmen have reason to celebrate backcountry conservation,” continued Fosburgh. “Whether they’re hunting the West Big Hole of Montana, the northern Blue Range of New Mexico or backcountry lands in Vermont’s White Mountains, public-land hunters across the nation will benefit from the court’s thoughtful decision for generations to come.”

Learn more about the TRCP’s work in support of roadless area conservation.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.

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