BRIDGE ACCESS BILL IMPLEMENTATION

HELP NEEDED

All – Now that HB 190 is law we are in the implementation phase. In order to focus and prioritize efforts we need information on specific bridges. To that end , we have developed the following checklist for essential information.

If you have candidates , here is what we need to know: (Submit whatever you have – even if you don’t have it all.)

1/ River or stream name (i.e. Stillwater River) County where bridge is located (i.e. Stillwater County)

2/ Common description (i.e. Spring Creek bridge)

3/ Location in terms of miles to or from significant point of reference (i.e.

3.5 miles downstream of Beehive)

4/ Location in terms of lat/long (i.e. 47.76453 -103.45763 or 47.764 North - 103.458 West)

5/ Parking description:
(i.e. None, Some, Minimal, Several cars, Plentiful, etc)

6/ Photos !!!!

7/ Bridge access status, describing the four corners of the right-of-way to the water. Advise where access needed or most desirable ,

Upstream river right:

Upstream river left:

Downstream river right:

Downstream river left:

(Descriptions might include one or more terms such as blocked, blocked by fence, unblocked, accessible, accessible via turnstile, accessible with fence, blocked by natural barrier, blocked by man made barrier, blocked with posted No Trespassing, accessible with posted No Trespassing, etc, )

(Note: Note the bill does not stop landowners from fencing across or into a river. However, under the stream access bill recreationists can portage around obstructions. - See "Know Your Rights" section of this website. )


8/ Landowner name - if known

9/ History - if significant .


Here's one more thing that could help. Computer users probably know they can download Google Earth for free. It can be downloaded at http://earth.google.com/. This provides high-resolution aerial photos and is a fun and productive tool. The user can locate the bridge in question with Google Earth, and best of all, Google Earth displays the GPS coordinates which you can send to us.

related articles I-161 Guest Opinion ( 08/18/2010 )   Citizen Initiative 161 is sponsored by Montana resident hunters, tired of battling negative impacts caused by the current law guaranteeing Montana hunting outfitters 7,800 non-resident clients. These impacts include the loss of hunting access and the privatization of our wildlife. Sixteenmile Creek Acquisition Project ( 07/06/2010 )   Sixteenmile Creek Acquisition Project Needs Support and Comment. Two members of Public Land/Water Access Assoc.

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