Monday, April 17, 2006 4:20:14 PM
Dear Email Sentry:
Two items on the near deadline horizon need your attention.
- Please consider attending MWF's
Annual Board Meeting festivities this weekend
- April 21, 22, 23, 2006. Friday night's BBQ and calling contest
is open to all at the MWF Board Building at our office location
at 5530 North Montana Avenue in Helena starting at 6:00 pm.
Saturday's board meeting is at the Red Lion Colonial Hotel
starting at 8:30 am with a break at 12:00 noon for the Annual
Conservation Award Luncheon, with guest speaker National Wildlife
Federation President Larry Schweiger. That evening starts
at 5:00 pm with the Social Hour. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer
will kick off the MWF Dinner and Fundraiser Auction at 6:00
pm. Many bargains can usually be found in the process of funding
MWF's conservation work for the next year.
Sunday the Board convenes at the Board Room at 8:30 am. Election
of officers and adoption of Resolutions will take place at that
time.
All MWF members and guests are welcome all three days. Please
come enjoy yourself and support your MWF. For more information
go to www.montanawildlife.com.
- Well, that time is finally here: the comment
deadline for the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
Resource Management Plan is April 26, 2006.
You have a week or so to compose your comments and send them
in.
Email is the simplest - [mailto: rmpcomments@blm.gov
] - or send your written comments to:
Monument Team
BLM Lewistown Field Office
960 NE Main St.
Lewistown, MT 59457
Remember these points from previous Sentrygrams:
- Many roads are for the exclusive/privileged use of the neighboring
landowners; they originate on private land and are marked open
roads on RMP maps. MWF is asking that these roads either be
closed within 3 years
(except for administrative uses like servicing grazing leases
etc.) or a formal easement or right-of –way secured.
- On a similar subject, outfitters receive permits to outfit
in these same areas largely unavailable to the public. MWF believes
that no Special Resource Permits (required for outfitters) should
be issued for areas where the public has no equivalent access.
Private hunting preserves are inappropriate on our Public lands
especially a National Monument.
- The Monument will continue to attract increased numbers of
hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts, which could impact the
vigor of our deer, elk, antelope and bighorn sheep herds, so,
travel planning should reflect needs for big game security.
In the preferred alternative, 75% of the Monument is within
a mile of a road. Many hunters want opportunities to get away
from the “road hunters” where the hunting is generally
better. Redundant and unnecessary roads and short spurs can
be closed without eliminating critical public access points
into core areas of the Monument.
- Any airstrips are inappropriate for a national monument; airstrips
in the interior of the Bullwhacker area could potentially facilitate
poaching, spotting game and relaying information to ground hunters
or even herding. Additionally, they provide an unfair advantage
over the traditional, public, on-the-ground hunter; open strips
will surely promote commercial operations in the Bullwhacker
area, a concept that doesn’t meet with the direction of
the Monument Proclamation.
- While we all support dispersed camping opportunities, 300
feet on both sides of the road opens the Monument up to abuse.
The RMP should protect sensitive areas, and possibly designate
areas where dispersed camping is appropriate.
- MWF has been encouraging the BLM to establish a Wildlife
Steering Committee. This Council would give BLM, FWP and CMR
Refuge wildlife biologists the capability to respond to the
needs of our wildlife resource in a timely manner. This idea
is playing well with State and Federal wildlife managers.
Montanan’s have overwhelmingly supported the Upper Missouri
River Breaks National Monument and want its social, historic attributes,
wildlife and hunting/angling/floating legacy protected. Please
take a few minutes of your time to get your comments written and
submitted. It is crucial for the BLM to receive comment letters
from ALL Montana sportsmen’s groups so they get the message
that Montana’s hunters and anglers take this Monument personal.
Remember if you ask for nothing then that’s what you’ll
get in the final Resource Management Plan.
If you have any questions or need some assistance preparing your
comments, feel free to call me at 1-800-517-7256 or send me an
email to lcopenhaver@mtwf.org
. Please write your comments soon!!!
|
Thank you for all you do for Montana's public lands,
wildlife, and fair-chase hunting and fishing heritage.
Montana Wildlife Federation, with nearly 7,000 members, is
the largest and oldest statewide nonprofit wildlife conservation
organization of hunters and anglers who work to protect Montana's
lands and waters and its hunting and fishing heritage.
To learn more about MWF, go to www.montanawildlife.com. |
