So, as if SFW did not create enough problems for public land hunters and anglers when they fought, successfully, to change the Stream Access Law in Utah, we again see their true colors when it comes to public land hunters. I will provide another example with an email from the ranks of SFW that has to make any hunter shake their head and wonder what SFW really stands for.
There is a bill in the Montana legislature, SB 237, that would place a "No net gain of public land" doctrine over FWP. The bill is sponsored by Senator John Brenden, a known anti-public land hunter and self-proclaimed PITA for FWP. The list of co-sponsors have not shown to have much use for public land hunters and anglers.
Here is a link to the bill.
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2013/billhtml/SB0237.htm
Some resident hunting groups sent out emails to ask for opposition to this bill, illustrating the negative impacts this bill can have on purchases of key wildlife habitat. Think Porcupine, Robb-Ledford, Taylor Fork, Wall Creek, Sun River, Beartooth, Royal Teton, etc.
I don't know of any hunter/angler group that would support a bill that imposes a no-net gain policy on FWP, given how critical it is that we continue to acquire our best winter ranges in this time of continued development activity and ability to acquire access when access is so heavily under attack. Well, with one exception of one group.
Many times, these critical wildlife properties are acquired at a bargain sale from landowners who have a conservation ethic that makes Montana such a wondeful place. Many times they are handed over to FWP from other groups or agencies, with FWP paying a small fraction of the price FWP would have to pay if they did the deal all by themselves.
Look at Taylor's Fork as a recent example. USFS, RMEF, and the Trust for Public Lands put up about 80% of the money and bought the land from a guy who sold it at a discount from FMV.
As a result, hunters, via FWP ownership, ended up with control of the best elk migration corridor in SW Montana, for pennies on the dollar. This bill would prohibit that kind of collaborative acquisition with conservation-minded landowners and other non-profit groups.
Maybe it is not reasonable to expect the recent carpetbagger groups to understand anything about Taylor's Fork, given they arrived in this state five years after the heavy lifting was completed by hunters and other groups. Nor would the recent immigrants understand the same thing was done with Royal Teton, etc.
Since these legislators have publicly expressed their firm position to stop critical land acquisitions, the bill itself and the list of co-sponsor comes as no surprise. What comes as a big surprise is that a "supposed" hunting group is supporting the bill that would prohibit FWP from acquiring such lands, unless they sold the same amount of acreage.
Below is a copy of the email where one group appears to be supporting the no net gain bill. It was issued in reply to one action alert sent by a resident hunting group asking hunters to defeat this bill. Read this and see who is the "phony sportsmen group?"
I suspect when the spotlight heats up that some in SFW will claim that Mr. Kubista supported this bill as his own person, not as a part of SFW. Surely could be the case.
Maybe he is a different guy than the one shown in the image below. Here is a screen shot of a public information record showing the MT SFW annual report that was filed on 3/22/2013 and is available for $2.00 from the Montana Secretary of State website.
Really, I am not making this up. If not for their proven track record of anti-wildlife and anti-public land hunter/angler, it would almost be too incredulous to believe, but SFW supporters never cease to amaze. Decide for yourself who is on the side of the public land hunter.
And hopefully you will decide to email the committee members to defeat this bill. Link to the legislative message system provided here.
It is most efficient to message the entire House Natural Resources Committee. Make reference to SB 237. Let them know how you feel about restriction public land acquisitions. If you can't make it to the hearing, emails and calls are greatly appreciated.
http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/63rd/legwebmessage.asp
Note how the bill was put in the Natural Resources Committees, rather than the House Fish and Game and House FWP committees.
If you know any of these members personally, a personal phone call to them can make a big difference. The bill is being heard on April 3rd at 3pm in Room 172.
Bennett, Jerry (R - Ch)
Connell, Pat (R – V Ch)
Court, Virginia (D – V Ch)
Doane, Alan (R)
Eck, Jenny (D)
Fitzpatrick, Steve (R)
Galt, Wylie (R)
Hoven, Brian (R)
Lieser, Ed (D)
Lynch, Ryan (D)
Miller, Mike (R)
Pomnichowski, JP (D)
Shaw, Ray (R)
Warburton, Wendy (R)
White, Kerry (R)
Williams, Kathleen (D)
There is a bill in the Montana legislature, SB 237, that would place a "No net gain of public land" doctrine over FWP. The bill is sponsored by Senator John Brenden, a known anti-public land hunter and self-proclaimed PITA for FWP. The list of co-sponsors have not shown to have much use for public land hunters and anglers.
Here is a link to the bill.
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2013/billhtml/SB0237.htm
Some resident hunting groups sent out emails to ask for opposition to this bill, illustrating the negative impacts this bill can have on purchases of key wildlife habitat. Think Porcupine, Robb-Ledford, Taylor Fork, Wall Creek, Sun River, Beartooth, Royal Teton, etc.
I don't know of any hunter/angler group that would support a bill that imposes a no-net gain policy on FWP, given how critical it is that we continue to acquire our best winter ranges in this time of continued development activity and ability to acquire access when access is so heavily under attack. Well, with one exception of one group.
Many times, these critical wildlife properties are acquired at a bargain sale from landowners who have a conservation ethic that makes Montana such a wondeful place. Many times they are handed over to FWP from other groups or agencies, with FWP paying a small fraction of the price FWP would have to pay if they did the deal all by themselves.
Look at Taylor's Fork as a recent example. USFS, RMEF, and the Trust for Public Lands put up about 80% of the money and bought the land from a guy who sold it at a discount from FMV.
As a result, hunters, via FWP ownership, ended up with control of the best elk migration corridor in SW Montana, for pennies on the dollar. This bill would prohibit that kind of collaborative acquisition with conservation-minded landowners and other non-profit groups.
Maybe it is not reasonable to expect the recent carpetbagger groups to understand anything about Taylor's Fork, given they arrived in this state five years after the heavy lifting was completed by hunters and other groups. Nor would the recent immigrants understand the same thing was done with Royal Teton, etc.
Since these legislators have publicly expressed their firm position to stop critical land acquisitions, the bill itself and the list of co-sponsor comes as no surprise. What comes as a big surprise is that a "supposed" hunting group is supporting the bill that would prohibit FWP from acquiring such lands, unless they sold the same amount of acreage.
Below is a copy of the email where one group appears to be supporting the no net gain bill. It was issued in reply to one action alert sent by a resident hunting group asking hunters to defeat this bill. Read this and see who is the "phony sportsmen group?"
I suspect when the spotlight heats up that some in SFW will claim that Mr. Kubista supported this bill as his own person, not as a part of SFW. Surely could be the case.
Maybe he is a different guy than the one shown in the image below. Here is a screen shot of a public information record showing the MT SFW annual report that was filed on 3/22/2013 and is available for $2.00 from the Montana Secretary of State website.
Really, I am not making this up. If not for their proven track record of anti-wildlife and anti-public land hunter/angler, it would almost be too incredulous to believe, but SFW supporters never cease to amaze. Decide for yourself who is on the side of the public land hunter.
And hopefully you will decide to email the committee members to defeat this bill. Link to the legislative message system provided here.
It is most efficient to message the entire House Natural Resources Committee. Make reference to SB 237. Let them know how you feel about restriction public land acquisitions. If you can't make it to the hearing, emails and calls are greatly appreciated.
http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/63rd/legwebmessage.asp
Note how the bill was put in the Natural Resources Committees, rather than the House Fish and Game and House FWP committees.
If you know any of these members personally, a personal phone call to them can make a big difference. The bill is being heard on April 3rd at 3pm in Room 172.
Bennett, Jerry (R - Ch)
Connell, Pat (R – V Ch)
Court, Virginia (D – V Ch)
Doane, Alan (R)
Eck, Jenny (D)
Fitzpatrick, Steve (R)
Galt, Wylie (R)
Hoven, Brian (R)
Lieser, Ed (D)
Lynch, Ryan (D)
Miller, Mike (R)
Pomnichowski, JP (D)
Shaw, Ray (R)
Warburton, Wendy (R)
White, Kerry (R)
Williams, Kathleen (D)
