Montana's Stream Access in Trouble
Well here we go again, the rich boys are trying to back door us again, this time they want to make it illegal to access the rivers from PUBLIC road bridges. Bill sponsored in the house by a republican rep from Billings. Call your local Reps and start screaming. On a positive note there is another bill that just passed in the Senate that would require landowners to provide public access off of bridges if they fence up to them. We need to support this one. Get on the phone, this is the real deal.
The bad bill is HB 642, and it was introduced by the chairman of the Fish & Game committee Mike Milburn R-Cascade . The chairman saw to it that the good bill SB78, which has passed the Senate, would be heard after his bill, which is scheduled for its first hearing on Tuesday.
I would urge you to IMMEDIATELY email members of the committee (I've listed their email addresses below). Here's what I wrote them (please re-word your comments and personalize to suit):
Dear Fish & Game committee member:
I have just learned of the introduction of HB 642, which flies in the
face of the 2000 Attorney Generals opinion that clearly established
the right of the public to access our streams and rivers from public
bridges and the rights-of-way of the roads approaching bridges.
HB 642 is in direct contravention of the 1985 Stream Access Law, which
grants members of the public access to rivers and streams for
recreation purposes between the ordinary high-water marks.
Appallingly, this bill clearly seeks to undermine the Stream Access Law
and restrict the public right to access our precious, public resources.
I STRONGLY urge you to defeat HB 642 and support SB 78, which codifies
the Attorney Generals opinion and infringes on NEITHER the public nor
the landowner. HB 642 is an embarrassment to Republicans and landowners
(both, like myself) who realize that what makes Montana great is not
only our natural resources, but having the ability to access them.
Thank you!
mmilburn@mcn.net
arlene_becker@bresnan.net
hendrickhd14@yahoo.com
grt3177@smtel.com
branae@earthlink.net
bcdc@digisys.net
rdriscoll@peoplepc.com
dutton4mt@hotmail.com
groesbeckforhouse@hotmail.com
ehilbert@midrivers.com
rickjore@hotmail.com
klock@mtintouch.net
koopman@imt.net
kenneth59@bresnan.net
mikephillips@montana.net
kendallvandyk@gmail.com
cvvincent@hotmail.com
hd84ward@wmconnect.com
bw22@bresnan.net
