PUBLIC LANDS: BLM considers exchange that could open 50,000 acres of Mont. monument
Phil Taylor, E&E reporter
E&E PM: Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it is considering a proposed land exchange that could restore public access to 50,000 acres of backcountry in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in central Montana.
The agency said it has received a proposed land swap in Blaine, Fergus and Musselshell counties from Wilks Ranch Montana Ltd., a corporation owned by Farris and Dan Wilks.
"The principal motivation for BLM in entertaining a land exchange is that it offers a potential avenue to restore public access to about 50,000 acres of Missouri Breaks backcountry," said Stan Benes, BLM's central Montana district manager. "Now that a preliminary proposal has been received, we want to enlist the help of all interested parties in assessing possible ways forward."
The agency said it has tried to restore access to the Bullwhacker Coulee area in Blaine County since it was lost as a result of a legal ruling several years ago.
BLM spokeswoman Melodie Lloyd said the Bullwhacker area is a popular spot for big-game elk hunting as well as other dispersed recreational uses, but it's currently accessible only by foot or by an airstrip.
The agency said it is beginning work on an environmental assessment to decide whether the exchange would be in the public's interest, as well as consider other options such as a new road.
"Emotions have run high amidst the loss of access in the Bullwhacker, fueled by speculation regarding a land exchange," Benes said. "I would ask that folks take a step back and help us take a reasoned look at the merits and impacts of the various options."
None of the dozen BLM-managed parcels included in the proposed exchange has overland, legal public access, and they are difficult to properly manage, BLM said. One 40-acre parcel can be accessed by plane.
Access to public lands is an issue all across the West with an area about the size of New Jersey currently barred to the public, according to a report last November by the Denver-based Center for Western Priorities (E&ENews PM, Nov. 25, 2013). Montana has by far the most inaccessible public lands in the six-state study area, with an estimated 1.9 million acres off-limits, according to the report.
