Board of Directors
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MISSION STATEMENT
"The mission of PLWA is to maintain, restore, and perpetuate public access to the boundaries of all Montana public land and waters."
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PLWA officers and President John Gibson have been active in advocating for this major access opening to both public land and water in central Montana. This is both by John's advancement of funding through his position on the the "Canyon Ferry Trust" advisory board, lobbying for funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and working with Attorney General Bullock in regard to action on the closed gate. (Yup, it is a complex situation but don't give up - read on for more information. ) The Smith River canyon running from just north of White Sulpher Springs to just south of Great Falls, is one of great natural features of central Montana. The west side is mainly private land but the east side is primarily Lewis and Clark National Forest. The Tenderfoot creek runs into the Smith, and the South Fork Tenderfoot Creek road opens access to a large chunk of adjacent National Forest . A great opportunity exists to execute a land purchase which would open up even more of the National Forest and add to it. ... (more) |
Click map pins for Issue details.
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take action What is the Land and Water Conservation Fund and why is it important to you?The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is the primary source of funding available to the Federal land management agencies to preserve, develop and assure access to outdoor recreational resources. This includes the purchase of in-holdings within existing Federal lands, the purchase of large private holdings that may be threatened by development pressures, as well as the purchase of easements and corridors which provide improved public access to existing federal lands. ... (more) PLWA is often asked if we are involved in access issues within the boundaries of National Forests and other public lands. The answer is “very seldom”.The reason is this, once you enter public land the issue is no longer access but the kind of access. ... (more) Sportsmen - Remember the Sordid SixThink about the last legislative session and the onslaught of bills attacking the interests of resident hunters and anglers. Fortunately, resident sportsmen were successful in killing most of these really bad bills and the Governor vetoed others. Outdoor people from all over the state established a strong communication network that followed the legislature and legislators’ voting records very closely. ... (more) February 15, 2011 AN OPEN LETTER TO MONTANA SPORTSMEN REGARDING LIMITED ARCHERY ELK PERMITS A serious effort is underway in the current Legislature to reverse recent FWP Commission decisions limiting archery elk permits in Hunting Districts where rifle permits also are limited. {See HB 285 sponsored by Rep. Bill Harris. ... (more) |
public land newsMontana’s public lands help drive job growth( 05/15/2012 )
Montana’s public lands help drive job growth, report says Headwaters Economics recently released a report correlating the growth of the state’s economy with its high percentage of federally protected lands. By TRISTAN SCOTT of the MissoulianWHITEFISH – For more than a century, Montana’s wide open spaces have driven the statewide economy, but the value of the land is shifting from an extractive resource to a geographic grail. Big Fishing Business Confirm - Access Crucial ( 05/13/2012 ) OUTDOOR LIFE - Open Roads BlogMay 04, 2012 Big Fishing Business Confirm That Access is Crucial by Ben LambI spent a good portion of the afternoon today listening to some High Tech business owners and the CEO of Simms Fishing Products talk about the importance of public lands to their businesses.After we got through the mush about corporate tax rates and capital gains taxes, there was a lot of discussion about access -- access to public lands, and stream access in particular. Tenderfoot Creek Land Acquisition( 05/08/2012 ) A tremendous opportunity exists in Montana. The Bair Ranch Foundation, a philanthropic Montana foundation, is offering 8,220 acres of its private lands near the Smith River for permanent public access and enjoyment, and to conserve natural resources and traditional land uses. Fiscal Year 2012 LWCF Purchases( 04/12/2012 ) April 6, 2012 Here is the list of Montana land purchases for the national forest system with $41.6 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund announced Friday April 6,2012. know your rightsCaveat and Disclaimer( 11/28/2008 )
Information on this site is provided as a matter of information and education only. It is not intended to provide legal advice or counsel . LAWS RELATING TO CLOSING OF MONTANA COUNTY ROADS ( 05/20/2010 )
LAWS RELATING TO CLOSING OF MONTANA COUNTY ROADS Private parties frequently illegally close public roads and backroads leading to public land. Action to open them can require legal action involving esoteric and arcane case law such as public prescriptive easements, or the old RS2477 federal statute. |
public land issues| Sixteenmile Creek | 
Efforts underway since 2006 to acquire 5 miles of railroad right-of-way stretching west from Ringling along Sixteenmile Creek, and accessing an otherwise isolated section of DNRC land for another mile, are now nearing conclusion.
| | Teton County Road No. 380 - | 
Old County Road No. 380 - "Salmond Ranch Road "The article below from the Great Falls Tribune describes in part what is going on with several roads leading to the Rocky Mountain Front in Teton county.
| | Tenderfoot Creek Area Land Purchase | 
PLWA officers and President John Gibson have been active in advocating for this major access opening to both public land and water in central Montana.
| | Bullwhacker Road (2011) | 
(Blaine County 2011) In 2007 he Bullwhacker Road southeast of Havre was opened after several years of closure and controversy.
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11 more public land issues |
Public Access Objectives
- Educating and informing the public on their ownership and access rights.
- Monitoring public access routes and identifying access problems.
- Initiating legal action when access has been illegally blocked.
- Monitoring public land sales exchanges, and purchases to insure that no transfers are made without full consideration of conservation and recreational values.
- Initiating programs and policies to expand public land and water access.
- Pursuing every legal and ethical avenue to protect and maintain your access to public lands and waters.
What can PLWA Do For You?
Primarily we help hunters, anglers, and other recreationists fight back against the tide of privatization of public land and waters. Montana is changing and part of this change comes from outside interests who think they can grab “ownership” of a river or public land with "No Trespassing" signs, orange paint, barb wire, chains, lawsuits, legislation and other tactics. It takes an organization with “pit bull” mentality like PLWA to deal with these situations. In many cases we are the ones who initiate appropriate legal action and are on the firing line.
PLWA is an all volunteer organization with little overhead. Your donations are almost totally used to press the issue of maintaining access. Member contributions are our only source of income. Usually the deep pockets are on the other side.
We hope you'll take a moment today to join us in our mission to retain the traditional value of access to the public landscapes which make Montana such a special place.
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