Public Lands

WASHIGNTON – Last week, U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced legislation directing the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior to prioritize completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) by the trail’s 50th anniversary in 2028. The Senator introduced The Continental Divide Trail Completion Act with Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). “The Continental Divide Trail provides an unmatched outdoor experience for Montanans and visitors alike,” Daines said. “My bipartisan bill ensures the trail will continue to provide public access and a continuous route will finally be completed!” “The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced the “Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act” to restore wildlife habitats, enhance sportsmen opportunities, mitigate wildfire risk, and increase public access to public lands in Montana by removing restrictive Wilderness Study Area (WSA) designations that can hinder land management and public access. The legislation is supported by 19 local leaders and stakeholder groups. “After working with local stakeholders and county commissioners and looking at the science, I’m glad to introduce a bill that would enhance sportsmen opportunities and access, help restore wildlife habitats, and decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfires,” Daines said. “For decades, land managers have been forced to decrease public access and unable to use

U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Representative Matt Rosendale today issued the following statements after U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced the completion of a 90-day finding on the petition to list bison Distinct Population Segment in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). They determined a listing action may be warranted. “The Biden Administration’s action today demonstrates a continued trend of placing politics over science. While Governor Gianforte’s petition to delist the grizzly bear continues to go unanswered, the Administration was once again quick to respond to the requests of activists despite the absence of concrete

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines, top Republican on the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, and Gary Peters’ bipartisan resolution designating June 2022 as “Great Outdoors Month” passed the United States Senate.  “As a fifth generation Montanan and avid sportsman, I’m glad to designate June 2022 as ‘Great Outdoors Month.’ From hunting, to fly-fishing, to backpacking, exploring the great outdoors is part of our Montana way of life. I encourage folks to get outside and experience everything our national parks and public lands have to offer,” Daines said. “From Sleeping Bear Dunes to Pictured Rocks, Michigan is known for its iconic natural

U.S. SENATE – At a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week, U.S. Senator Steve Daines slammed Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for failing to follow her own agency’s science-based reviews and delist the grizzly bear and her continued politicization of Montana-led gray wolf management. Click HERE to watch and download the exchange. “Earlier this year you authored an editorial on gray wolves, devoid of any facts or substance, but nonetheless threatening my state with an emergency listing. Secretary Haaland, have wolf populations in the Northern Rockies Management Unit fallen below 100 wolves?” Daines asked. Secretary Haaland was unable to answer despite writing an editorial claiming the Department was “closely

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines, the top Republican on the National Parks Subcommittee, introduced a bill to reauthorize the National Park Foundation which will help increase support for Montana’s national parks. “Our national parks help set America apart from the rest of the world, and in Montana, our parks are part of our way of life,” Daines said. “The National Park Foundation continues to play an important role in supporting and amplifying the National Parks Service mission — we must continue to support them to help ensure folks can experience our parks for generations to come.” This funding is used by

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today led a group of his Senate Republican colleagues in urging Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Martha Williams not to cave in to activists’ calls to restrict the use of lead ammo and tackle on public lands.  “Policies or actions that reduce or limit sportsmen activities necessarily implicate wildlife conservation programs by affecting state agencies’ revenue. Such policies or actions also handcuff wildlife managers by removing a critical conservation tool while needlessly alienating one of our original conservationists, sportsmen. Phasing-out lead ammo and tackle on wildlife refuges would disproportionately affect lower-income

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Angus King (I-Maine), top Republican and Chairman of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, cheered Committee passage of their bipartisan bill the “Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act” which supports gateway communities and addresses challenges facing national parks and public lands. Their bill passed as part of the “Outdoor Recreation Act” and will now proceed to the full Senate. “Our national parks and public lands help set us apart from the rest of the world, and in Montana, they’re part of our way of life. Just as we take care of our outdoors, we must take care of the gateway communities surrounding them. I’m glad to