Montana Governor Commits to Access

Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana recently emphasized his commitment to protecting access to public lands for hunters, anglers, and campers. With a pen stroke Governor Schweitzer signed House Joint Resolution 13, which strongly urges the federal agencies such as the Forest Service, BLM and Bureau of Reclamation, not to implement fees on the public to access lands. The resolution was introduced by Representative Paul Clark in reaction to a "fee access" rider attached at the last minute to a federal omnibus budget bill last year.

"We Montanans believe we have a constitutional right to our own public lands," said Governor Schweitzer.

HJR 13 passed both the Montana House and Senate nearly unanimously. "Federal policy should not be 180 degrees opposite of our state policy," said Governor Schweitzer. "No state resident pays a daily fee to visit our state parks or to access our rivers."

--Contact: Sarah Elliott 444-9725.