I'd like to know who
@Ben Lamb has selected to replace himself in keeping us up to date on the inner workings of the beast.
The MT sportsmen's conservation community has many good folks stepping up to the plate this session. Yes, there's some turnover, but groups like MWF, BHA, MTTU, MSA, etc will all be there to fight. the Montana Sporting Coalition, which is made up of MWF, MTTU, MTBHA, RMEF, WSF, MTWSF, Bowhunters, MSA, MDF, Pheasants Forever, DU, and a few more I'm forgetting off the top of my head will be active again, but without an RMEF lobbyist in the building, it will be tougher.
MWF will have four staffers working the session. Marcus Strange, Nick Gevock, Eric Clewis & Frank Szollosi (new Executive Director) are all eager to jump into the fray and they are the only hunting organization with a full-time lobby presence up there.
They also have a legislative action team that you can sign up for to receive daily reports on committee action, both current & upcoming, as well as action alerts on bills relative to hunting, fishing, public lands, etc.
You can sign up for that here. I recommend doing so, or sign up for other organization's alert networks and stay in the loop, in the fight and engaged.
There are a lot of bills in the hopper relative to Habitat Montana, Elk Mgt, Bison, Transfer of Public Land & so many other issues. Being involved this session is super-critical to ensuring good decisions are made. It's going to be a donnybrook, but every session is. Adding to the conflict will be massive budget shortfalls due to COVID & the economic collapse, and eyes on both sides of the aisle eager to steal the money set aside for conservation & recreation with the new Recreational Marijuana ballot initiative.
Ben1 is right. Everybody ran on being pro-public land & pro-access. Seeing this many bill drafts to undo decades of access work tells me some of those folks weren't telling the truth.
Suit up folks. It's go time.
