Protecting Recreation Lands and Waters

One of the important engines driving the growth of Montana’s economy is the quality of the natural environment. People come to Montana and make a place for themselves here because they appreciate, treasure and actively recreate on our wild lands and waters. As a result, protecting the environment and promoting economic vitality go hand in hand.

In another way, however, there’s the potential for a serious conflict between growth and the use and enjoyment of wild lands and water. For one thing, building more homes, businesses and recreational facilities to accommodate new residents means occupying a lot of land and encroaching on open space, wildlife habitat, river corridors and wildlands along the edges of expanding urban areas.

Another impact of growth is that as more people try to recreate on lands absorbed by development, private landowners become reluctant to grant access either to their own property, or, through their property, to public lands.

Maintaining public access to, and protecting, wild and recreational lands and waters in the face of rapid growth is a significant challenge, but there are some simple measures that can help. Here are three such measures. They have been introduced in previous legislative sessions, and have failed. But they should be considered again, and passed, in 2009.

Protect lake shores and stream sides with development setbacks. These setbacks require new buildings to be far enough from the water to protect riparian habitat, leave the view from lake or river uncluttered and reduce the risk of flood damage.

Guarantee public access to streams at public bridge crossings. Where a public road crosses a river or stream on a bridge, there are public rights of way along the sides of the bridge that people can use to access the river for fishing or floating. But often these rights of way are fenced off.  While reasonably accommodating the interests of local land owners, the state should assert and protect the public’s right to these access points.

Enhance the capacity of the state to place its own land under conservation easements. The Land Board is required to use state lands to raise revenue, particularly for schools. One way of conserving land for habitat and recreation is to put it under a conservation easement, purchased by a conservation organization or land trust; proceeds from the sale of the easement can be invested to generate revenue.  It’s a case of conservation organizations putting up money for a particular use of state lands, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to compete with other potential users on an equal footing.