Inside Gianforte’s Methodical Campaign to Rewrite Wildlife Rules at FWP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 16, 2022
CONTACT
hadley@montanademocrats.org
His M.O.: Ignore experts and favor well-connected friends
Helena, MT – Governor Greg Gianfore’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks commission (FWP) has spent the last year and a half slowly but methodically rewriting the state’s wildlife management policies to benefit a select few. Gianforte’s approach to Montana’s public resources have followed a predictable arc: ignore environmental experts and bend the rules to be favorable to his rich, well-connected friends and donors.
Let’s examine his track record:
He ignored 4 out of 5 public comments from hunters and moved forward with a controversial and ineffective pheasant stocking program.
He personally stepped in and blocked the FWP’s attempts to ensure ecosystem-health and down-stream water access during a widespread drought in the Smith and Shields rivers.
This spring, his commission changed mountain lion hunting regulationsbased on requests by outfitters to give them more control.
Perhaps most damning, he pushed for rule changes that would make it easier for private landowners to sell commercial bull elk hunts, allowing monied interests to exploit bull elk for their personal gain, at the expense of resident hunters.
The Montana chapter of BHA had this to say “The power structure between Governor Gianforte…and the donors to the Gianforte campaign and the Republican legislature. It’s not accidental that many of the folks who are getting these buy-pass tags –they’re called 454 agreements– are donors to this administration.”
“Montana’s long and remarkable history of protecting access to public lands and supporting resident hunting is under attack like never before,” says Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Gianforte is no friend to Montana hunters and anglers. His track record makes it clear: he is trying to rewrite our wildlife rules to benefit his well-connected friends and donors.”
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