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Tenderfoot Creek Area Land Purchase 8,200 Acre Public Land Access Opportunity Tenderfoot Creek Land AcquisitionA 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. Up to this point, the Foundation has chosen not to sell the property to private parties, since that action may jeopardize public access to thousands of acres of intermingled National Forest lands. In 2009, the landowners granted an exclusive Option to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The Option allows for purchase in three phases at the approved appraised value. The Option expires in 2013. Timing and the ability to obtain funding will be key factors in successfully placing these lands in public ownership. The offered lands are located in the Tenderfoot Creek drainage, which flows into the nationally-recognized Smith River, a highly popular floating and fishing stream, within the heart of the historic Lewis & Clark National Forest, in Meagher County, Montana. The Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Tenderfoot Trust, a grass-roots volunteer group, have formed a coalition and are working together to acquire the Tenderfoot lands. Remarkably diverse, the Tenderfoot lands span 3,200 feet in elevation from sub-alpine mountains to grass meadows and riparian areas. The lands provide high quality water and fisheries habitat including west slope cutthroat trout, habitat for elk, moose, deer and a multitude of species, scenic views, and extraordinary opportunities for people to enjoy the Tenderfoot area for recreation, including, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, managed ATV use, snowmobiling and other uses. This purchase would protect access to thousands of acres of public land that are currently intermingled with or accessible only through Bair Ranch lands. Blocking up ownership would facilitate conservation of critically important fish and wildlife habitat. The Tenderfoot watershed is perhaps the most critical tributary of the Smith River recreational corridor. Overall, because of the access it provides and the habitat it secures, this acquisition will be enormously valuable to Montana’s hunters and anglers. The Tenderfoot is identified as one of the more important “bread and butter” hunting and fishing areas in Montana by 43 sportsmen’s club in the Montana Sportsmen Mapping Project. It ranks in importance to hunters and anglers with the public lands neighboring the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Broad Public Support Recognizing the outstanding public values and the serious risk of losing public access in the Tenderfoot area, the Meagher County Commissioners, Governor Brian Schweitzer, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and numerous sportsmen’s and conservation groups (listed below) are strongly supporting the Tenderfoot land acquisition. Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Montana Audubon Society Trout Unlimited Montana Wildlife Federation Montana Wilderness Association Backcountry Anglers Montana River Action Network Orion – The Hunters Institute Public Land/Water Access Association, Inc. Anaconda Sportsman’s Club Billings Rod & Gun Club Gallatin Wildlife Association Skyline Sportsmen’s Association, Butte Dillon Sportsman Rosebud/Treasure Wildlife Association Dawson County Rod & Gun Club Electric City Archery Club, Great Falls Great Falls Archers Safari Club Int., Great Falls Chapter Russell Country Sportsmen, Great Falls Fly Fishers of the Bitterroot Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association Bear Paw Bowmen, Havre Helena Hunters & Anglers Association Laurel Rod & Gun Club Libby Rod & Gun Club Park County Rod & Gun Club Custer Rod & Gun Club, Miles City Big Sky Upland Bird Association, Missoula Hellgate Hunters & Anglers, Missoula Polson Outdoors Broadwater Rod & Gun Club, Townsend Jefferson Valley Sportsmen’s Association Meagher County Sportsmen’s Association For more information, contact: Ron Marcoux, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (406) 202-1171; Butch Marita, Tenderfoot Trust (850) 766-0960; Mitch Godfrey, Tenderfoot Trust (406) 949-1111; or Carol Hatfield, Forest Service (406) 547-3361.
| Tenderfoot Rd. South Fork |
PLWA Sets Up Bridge / Stream Access Defense FundDang ! We have to ask for money again.
In Montana, water belongs to the publicThe recent Montana Supreme Court hearing in Bozeman contained the following claim by an attorney representing James Cox Kennedy in reference to the water in the Ruby River running through his ranch.His attorney claimed that the landowner not only owns the land under the river but the river itself as well as the air above the river.