For immediate releaseJan. 13, 2008STREAM ACCESS BILL AIMS FOR COMPROMISEBy MOLLY PRIDDYCommunity News ServiceUM School of Journalism
HELENA – Butte’s Bill “Sweet Willy” Holdorf, 83, recalls getting his first fishing licenseat age 15. He has floated and fished Montana’s rivers and streams all of his life. Now,Holdorf worries his grandchildren won’t be afforded the same luxury.“I’ve always had access,” Holdorf told state legislators in Helena Tuesday. “We never hada problem with cattlemen.”Holdorf’s comments came during testimony on the first “stream access” bill of the 2009Legislature. The subject has been a legislative staple since 1985, when lawmakersenacted Montana’s landmark law allowing recreational access to the beds and banks of the state’s navigable waterways.This year’s debate reflects a Madison County judge’s October ruling grantingrecreationists a right to access streams and rivers from bridges in the public right of way.But it also gave landowners a right to build fences up to those bridges to control their livestock. Now lawmakers are wrestling over who’s responsible for providing accessover, under or through the fences.Rep. Kendall Van Dyk, D-Billings, offered his solution to the House Fish, Wildlife andParks Committee Tuesday.“While this bill probably is not perfect, this is the best bridge access bill this committeehas seen in the past three sessions of the Legislature,” Van Dyk said.House Bill 190would require the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to work withlandowners to modify fences attached to or abutting county roads or bridges, allowing public access while controlling livestock. FWP would be responsible for the constructionand cost of any fence changes.Van Dyk said his bill is the result of 16 months of working with outdoor enthusiasts,landowners, livestock growers, environmental groups and the FWP. He also said it waswritten to be simple and straightforward.The hearing drew dozens of supporters, including the Montana Conservation Voters,Montana Farmers Union, Montana Cattlemen’s Association, Montana WildlifeFederation, Montana Association of Counties and Montana Trout Unlimited.
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