Click map for larger version
Recently touted as
a
“made-in-Montana compromise”, this 3rd land exchange
proposal (east-side of the Crazy Mountains) is anything but –
let's
call it what it is – a big money sellout.
For the public
trust's sake, here are the tip of the iceberg points, and how
these
land exchanges are shrinking the Crazy Mountains.
-
Tom Glass
(Western Land Group, Inc. representing the Yellowstone Club)
was in discussions with Custer Gallatin National Forest
Supervisor Mary Erickson, on a proposed land exchange in Big
Sky. Glass was informed that the land they offered the FS, was
not an equal exchange, they would need to come up with the
value balance.
-
Supervisor
Erickson directed Glass to look to the Crazy Mountains for the
value balance needed. My FOIA requests confirm Glass met with
Supervisor Erickson and Regional Forester Leanne Marten,
during stated time period.
-
On February 10,
2020, Enhancing Montana's Wildlife & Habitat, our Friends
of the Crazy Mountains plaintiffs and attorneys attended a
private meeting requested by Glass and Jess Peterson (Western
Skies Strategies), involving their proposed eastern Crazy
Mountains land exchange they were creating for the Forest
Service. This presentation was also given to numerous groups,
shopping for buy in.
-
Glass stated
they did not believe a NEPA process would need to be conducted
and were leaning towards a Congressional legislative exchange,
rather than administrative, potentially steamrolling the
process and reducing opportunities for public involvement.
Glass registered as a Congressional lobbyist, on behalf of
Yellowstone Development, LLC, on March 1, 2020, to lobby on
“Land Exchange Legislation”.
-
Not only does
this east land exchange ignore the approximate 100 year old
public access existing trail system, abandoning a crown jewel
Sweet Grass Trail to privatizers, it also moves the trails to
much steeper elevations, limiting users who can physically
access the trails. This proposal, as the others, ignores the
fact – the public already HAS ACCESS: historical prescriptive
easements, Northern Pacific Railroad grant deeds, and RS2477
public access, if only the FS would simply do their job to
defend it from private landowner obstruction.
To summarize what
got us to this point:
2015, Responding to
Sen. Daines, concerning Trail 115/136, Erickson wrote, “The Forest
Service maintains that it holds unperfected prescriptive rights on
this trail system as well as up Sweet Grass Creek to the north
based
on a history of maintenance with public funds and historic and
continued public and administrative use.”
2017, As landowners
objected to Sienkiewicz's multiple-use management, Custer Gallatin
National Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson, began shifting Forest
Service management, away from previous long-held FS positions
defending and maintaining public access in the Crazies.
June 16, 2017,
District Ranger, Alex Sienkiewicz was removed, after Sen. Daines
wrote to Ag Sec. Sonny Perdue, including landowner false
allegations.
After public outcry and an investigation, Sienkiewicz was
re-instated, but has not been involved with any proposed
exchanges.
2019, The east and
west-side are currently in litigation; south-side exchange is
sitting
after majority public comment opposition; this east-side exchange
has
not formally been presented to FS yet.
Taken as a whole,
between east and west-side obstruction requiring litigation,
proposed
southern exchange, now the east proposal, we're seeing the
inexcusable shrinking of the Crazy Mountains, a theft from the
public's hands.
To view a satellite
map with existing trails and proposed trails, go to EMWH.org, to
view
shrinking of the Crazy Mountains.
While collaboration
and finding solutions is great, as a public trust researcher and
advocate, not only do I disagree with the east-side proposal and
its
faulty foundation, I feel Supervisor Erickson's directing of the
Yellowstone Club's involvement and money towards the Crazy
Mountains
is appalling, exacerbating an already flammable situation.
Please contact
Senators Tester and Daines, Rep. Gianforte- tell them, “Do not
legislate the East Crazy Mountains, it must go through the
administrative process, the public must have input.
Kathryn QannaYahu,
Founder of Enhancing Montana's Wildlife & Habitat
__________________
The
east-side land exchange proposal group already held their first meeting
in Livingston. A member of the public attended their tabling event and
was told by one of the groups members, that the Sweet Grass Trail #122
is open to the public now and has never been limited.
The landowners blocked them in by parking inches in front and behind their vehicle to harass them.
Another
reminder, these trails were affirmed in the 2006 Forest Service Travel
Plan, Crazy Mountain portion, which some of the involved landowners
protested in court, resulting in the Court upholding the Travel Plan.
Additionally,
here are the links to the Forest Service Release of Easement Interests
on the west-side, easement interests we have been saying all along the
public already had, which the Forest Service used to defend and we are
having to litigate to enforce and in the West Crazies, need to be
restored to the Public.
I am currently researching another Yellowstone Club connection in this East Crazy Mountains land exchange proposal.
A couple weeks ago, following up on
an old Forest Service communication I thought was an error, involving
Crazy Mountains public access, part of which is on Sweet Grass Trail
#122, I went back to the Park County Clerk & Recorders office and
found more landowner conveyed public access deeds. This reroute moves
the public away from a portion of stream access fishing of Sweet Grass
Creek, privatizing it.
As Brad Wilson has rightly asked, "Would these landowners give up their Historical Water Rights without a fight?"
Why is the Forest Service giving away our easement interests on a 100 year old trail system, instead of defending and maintaining them as they did before 2017?
_______________________
"A federal judge has halted the U.S. Forest Service’s plans to log and do other fuels reduction work in portions of an inventoried
roadless area near Helena...the agency’s plan ran counter to
environmental law and rules."
Congratulations Gayle, I know you put a lot of work into this.
"On Monday, the Montana Land Board voted unanimously to approve the addition of 600 acres to the 9,000-acre Garrity Mountain Wildlife Management Area."
- Bullock, Tester push back on Pendley appointment,
A day after Montana Gov. Steve Bullock sued to remove acting Bureau of
Land Management Director William Perry Pendley from his post, public
lands advocates and Montana’s Democratic senator are calling for
hearings on Pendley’s nomination to lead a federal agency responsible
for managing millions of acres of public lands, saying he is unfit for
the position.
- Tester Bill Would End No-Bid Oil, Gas Leasing on Public Lands,
What happens when an oil or gas lease on Bureau of Land Management land
goes up for auction and no one bids on it? It isn't taken off the
market.
Instead, oil companies can buy the lease for the low price of a $1.50
per acre. That's why Sen. Jon Tester - D-Mont. - is introducing the
Leasing Market Efficiency Act, which would eliminate the practice of
non-competitive leasing.
- Judge recommends halt to BLM project in Elkhorns,
A U.S. magistrate judge has recommended that a Bureau of Land
Management prescribed burning project in the Elkhorn Mountains be halted
as a court case proceeds.
Judge Timothy J. Cavan made the recommendation Monday on BLM’s Iron Mask
Project northwest of Townsend in response to a lawsuit from Alliance
for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council. The case will now
need to go before a U.S. District Court judge for a final determination.
Thank you,
Kathryn
QannaYahu
406-579-7748
www.EMWH.org
Helena, MT
