“The Montana Wildlife Federation thanks Gov. Bullock for vetoing HB 265,” said Dave Chadwick, MWF executive director. “Legislators ignored hundreds of Montana sportsmen and sportswomen who expressed overwhelming opposition to this bill. It would inject unneeded politics into Habitat Montana conservation easements, which we saw last year with the Horse Creek Complex easement near Wibaux.

“Habitat Montana has been an incredible success for over three decades for landowners, for our public wildlife and habitat, and for Montana’s hunters and anglers. We don’t need more government bureaucracy to kill quality projects after they’ve gone through two years of review. Instead of working to create more roadblocks to conservation and access, legislators should work with hunters and landowners to build on Habitat Montana and create more opportunities, not less.”

Background:

Habitat Montana is our state’s best habitat protection and access program. For over three decades it has used a portion of hunting license fees to pay for targeted fee title purchases and conservation easements with willing landowners. It has conserved more than 880,000 acres of crucial big game winter range and other habitat, while also opening those lands and adjoining public lands to public hunting, angling and wildlife watching.

Last year the state Land Board injected politics into Habitat Montana conservation easements when it indefinitely delayed the Horse Creek Complex conservation easement for no valid reason. Gov. Bullock determined that easements do not require Land Board approval and completed the project. That decision was challenged by Attorney General Tim Fox in an AG’s opinion.

Bullock took Fox to court to overturn the opinion. The case went to the state Supreme Court, where in a 6-1 ruling it determined that Land Board approval was not required under the original Legislative intent when it created Habitat Montana. The ruling allowed three major conservation easements to be completed before the end of the year, and a total of a dozen easements totaling more than 86,000 acres to move forward.

HB 265, sponsored by Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, would have required Land Board approval for conservation easements under Habitat Montana. It would have added uncertainty that would have spooked landowners from beginning negotiations with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.