On the Front
Hook and Bullet Value and Land Ethics
Often times, it’s tough to put a dollar figure on what we value most in Montana. Our clean air, water and abundant wildlife seem to exist separate from the daily struggles of paying
bills, making sure the kids have the right kind of shoes and praying that the truck lasts another year. But in a world that sometimes puts a quick buck over long term yields, it’s important to remember that our prosperity is rooted in our land. Due to our state’s natural beauty, Montana enjoys a competitive advantage that few other places can lay claim too.
For instance, many of us have carved a way of life, and an economy, out of providing valuable services to the millions of people who flock to our mountains and prairies to hunt, fish and recreate. We also depend on other traditional economic drivers like agricultural production. In fact, together, agriculture and outdoor recreation are two of the biggest industries in Montana, with each contributing over $2.5 billion dollars a year. Nowhere does this mix of sustainable economic opportunity thrive better than along the Rocky Mountain Front, where folks understand that fostering a good land ethic creates long-term sustainable income.
A recent survey conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks makes that point clear. According to data from 2008, they estimate hunting and fishing recreation along the Front brought in over $10 million dollars a year to local communities. That’s a large chunk of change in anyone’s world, and those direct expenditures create more and more wealth as they circulate through the local economy. The analysis shows that upland game bird hunting, elk, and mule deer are the base economic drivers for the hunting economy along the Front, bringing in over $9 million dollars in 2008. That’s not surprising given every year, an average of four thousand hunters check through the Augusta game station during the big-game season.
Meanwhile, fishing in the Dearborn, Sun, Teton and Willow Creek drainages, as well as Bean Lake, Nilan, Pishkun and Willow Creek Reservoirs totaled almost $1 million. That’s a lot of worms and flies, gas for boats and lots of hotdogs over the campfire at night.
The reason so many hunters and anglers flock to the Rocky Mountain Front and are willing to spend that kind of money is because the state, federal, and private lands along the Front make up some of the best wildlife habitat in the lower 48 states. Maintaining the Front the way it is today is the best assurance the land will continue to be a huge economic asset not only for today, but for the future as well.
Fortunately, people are making progress. Already, conservation easements are being used to preserve the ranches that are vital for upland game bird habitat and provide critical winter habitat for elk and mule deer. Recently, the Nature Conservancy has stated that through the Land and Water Conservation Fund over 100,000 acres of private land on the Rocky Mountain Front has been placed in conservation easements, with another 100,000 acres ready to be enrolled. Demand among ranchers for these easements is high. That shows a serious land ethic by the private landowners along the Front to make sure that the Front we have today, will be the same Front for our children and grandchildren, and their children as well.
But less work has been done to safeguard the public lands which are also money in the bank. They provide the clean water for fishing, the summer habitat and transition zones for elk, and the iconic landscapes that keep people coming back again and again. By carefully maintaining the public lands as they are now, we can continue to have a sustainable economy along the Front that allows for new business’ to come in and thrive as the Front’s popularity grows.
