Just a six-letter word

A funny thing happened to Montana voters on their way to the ballot box a few years back. Once an obscure issue, public access to public land — land ordinary citizens actually own — began to become an important matter. This November, it will be more important than ever before.

Montanans have always enjoyed a rich heritage of outdoor recreation on lands owned by the public and managed by state and federal agencies. As the privilege of recreating on private lands began to fall victim to outfitter leasing and out of state “trophy ranch” ownership, the ability to reach public land for recreational purposes became crucial.

That’s when Montanans began to realize that nearly two million acres of their own land was inaccessible — not because of lack of roads, but because of lack of legal access across adjoining private property, even in places where historic easements existed.

Montanans purchase hunting and fishing licenses at a per capita rate among the highest in the nation. As access concerns mounted among this large voter base, some politicians were wise enough to pay attention in deed as well as word.

That’s one important reason why Governor Steve Bullock and Senator Jon Tester hold office in an ostensibly solid red state.

Perhaps inevitably, others chose to spin this emerging issue in ways favorable to the outside interests that fund them. Consider the craftily worded Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act recently introduced by Montana Senator Steve Daines. Pay close attention. The lands this act addresses are Montana’s Wilderness Study Areas.

Granted, WSAs have been in regulatory limbo for too long, and decisions regarding their future are due — with appropriate case by case evaluation and local input. However, Daines describes these lands as “locked up” and claims that their current status means “… our families cannot enjoy this land … because D.C. paralysis has frozen public access to them.”

This is utter nonsense. Far from being “locked up,” these lands are completely open to public recreation right now. You may have to walk or ride a little farther in roadless areas, but so what? Don’t tell me about how hard that is for “elderly.”

I’m in my 70s, and I still do it. Even if you don’t hunt these backcountry areas, they provide key habitat for elk and other species that will disperse elsewhere within easier reach.

Montanans’ real access problems don’t involve WSAs. They involve the vast tracts of their own land they cannot reach without receiving a trespass citation. That’s what being “locked out” really means. If Daines truly cared about access, he’d be focused on the real issue rather than trying to masquerade as an access advocate by introducing a bill that would primarily benefit the out of state corporate interests that support him. He certainly didn’t care about ordinary Montanans when he inappropriately intervened in a public access dispute in the Crazy Mountains on behalf of a Texas Congressman.

We’re going to hear a lot about access between now and November, from nearly everyone running for public office. All of us who hunt, fish, hike, or camp need to look beyond the election season fluff and remember that unless the real issue of legally inaccessible public land is being addressed and real steps are being taken to address it, “access” is just a six-letter word.

Don Thomas

Lewistown, MT