Madison River Recreation Plan FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

por: Chris Gentry
destinatário: General Population

This has gone out to Governor Steve Bullock and other officials today. We need your help! Please sign and share this letter everywhere.

Governor Steve Bullock

Office of the Governor

PO Box 200801 Helena, MT 59620-0801 April 18, 2019

Dear Governor Bullock

The business community of Ennis, West Yellowstone and Virginia City, as well as many residents within these communities are extremely concerned and dissatisfied with the direction that the Madison River Recreation Management is heading. We feel it very important to express to you our concerns as the Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission seems to be fast-tracking decisions that will negatively affect regional tourism, commerce and our quality of life.

As a community:

We strongly refute the premise and rhetoric from the Department claiming over-crowding is taking place on the Madison River. Department studies, when evaluated objectively, show a very high level of angler satisfaction, however, we believe that this information has been cherry-picked to support a preconceived position espoused by Department staff. There is no technical basis for the claim of overcrowding. It is a manufactured condition that when stated loudly and often enough becomes accepted. Department survey data refutes the assertion when evaluated objectively. For example, of the nearly 200 combinations of questions interviewed angler could respond to, 92%, of the 2,000 respondents indicated their experience was satisfactory or very satisfactory. Yet the Department chooses to report only the results for the dissatisfied anglers and even in doing so, fails to mention that of the small fraction of dissatisfied anglers, the majority are simply frustrated with traffic management at the Fishery Access Sites (FAS). The Departments biased reporting of survey data has fueled an unnecessary and contentious effort to restrict non-resident guided angling on the Madison River.
It is understood that the fishery resources of the Madison River are healthy and are not in jeopardy of over harvest or decline. That is one point all seem to agree.
Restricting the guided fishery, in the face of a biologically robust resource is an unnecessary and an extreme measure. Restrictions in the way of rest and rotation, citizen's days and any capping/allocation of commercial outfitters and guides will be catastrophic to the infrastructure and commerce of our communities. Guided angling accounts for a reported 10.25% of the total number of angling days. Reducing guided effort by 50% of 2016 levels would result in a reduction of about 9,000 angler days, reducing total angler days from 179,000 to about 170,000. A 50% reduction on the commercial trips results in only a 5% reduction overall, a level that would be unnoticed by any anglers. To put this in terms of how many people they see (on average) on the river on a given day, instead of seeing 20 people, they will only see 19. It is preposterous to think that even a 50% reduction in guided angling effort will have any positive effects on crowding. Yet it will be catastrophic for the businesses and residents of our communities.
Ennis and Virginia City would be directly impacted by any restrictions. West Yellowstone and Big Sky are also large stakeholders in the recreation industry. Data provided by the University of Montana in 2017 Nonresident Traveler Expenditures & Economic Contribution in Madison County shows that Outfitting and Guiding is our NUMBER 1 resource coming in at $23,523,000.00; this same report for the area of SW Montana is the NUMBER 3 resource at $68,559,000.00. Montana's Outdoor Recreation Industry accounts for $7.1 billion in consumer spending and more than 71,000 jobs—the 2^nd largest sector of the state's economy.
These communities are dependent on this river. Taking ANY action against a resource that is not being biologically effected will have grave and dire consequences on the current and future economy of the area. The river is robust, thriving and showing a biological surplus per FWP data.
Restrictions favored by FWP staff are in direct conflict with Governor Bullock's Office of Outdoor Recreation. The Office of Outdoor Recreation was founded to ensure that our recreation resources continue to thrive and provide opportunity for current and future generations. To further the growth of this industry and safeguard the unique interests that enable its success, the Office of Outdoor Recreation serves as a centralized point of contact and coordination for the broad outdoor recreation constituency. The office focuses on advocacy, policy, support, and growing new opportunities within the outdoor recreation industry. This commitment makes Montana an ideal environment to innovate, develop, test, and use products and services that will determine the future of the industry and elevate the economies around it.

We would like to recommend solutions:

1) We agree with FWP Angling and Creel Survey and Mail Survey results that indicate FAS is where the greatest measured frustration exists. There needs to be better management at FAS. To help FWP accomplish this with an immediate benefit and a high-profile awareness; as well as being a relatively inexpensive cost to implement. We would like to see a "Boots on the Ground" traffic attendant. This attendant would be responsible for directing traffic, educating and guiding our river users to parking areas, rigging up areas and general river etiquette. This action could be taken immediately and allocated to the correct locations and at the correct times to affect the greatest benefits for the least amount of expense. Such action would create immediate and visible relief for the greatest source of frustration expressed by those using the river. We would be delighted to work with FWP to identify the key locations and time to affect the greatest positive impact.

2) To ensure that the Madison River fishery resource remains intact and continues to thrive we encourage FWP to continue to establish measureable biological fishery management objectives. These would be presented in the form of ranges based on appropriate historical data. Management efforts would be focused on preserving historical levels as measured by:

a) Fish per river mile,
b) Size of the catchable population,
c) catch rate (fish landed per hour).

The Department does a good job of monitoring these parameters already and establishing management objectives based upon these parameters will take the subjectivity out of statements concerning the status of the fishery resources. Deviation from these stated objectives would trigger management actions that would apply to all anglers.

We also want to express our complete opposition to efforts that are intended to circumvent Montana's signature Stream Access Laws, by establishing wade only sections that are intended to benefit wealthy landowners who want to block access. We know that you, Governor Bullock, are a very strong advocate for preserving public access to public resources and we ask that you provide clear direction to Department staff and Commission members who are advocating this untenable position.

In closing, our community opposes the unnecessarily restriction of fishing opportunity on the Madison River. The deliberate targeting of non-residents and the guiding industry (the economic lifeblood of our communities) based upon hearsay and biased reporting of survey data is entirely unacceptable. If in the future restrictions are necessary to address biological concerns, then ALL anglers should share in the burden of conservation. We all want to see the Madison river continue to thrive; our communities depend on it. We thank you for your attention to our request and look forward to continued conversation.

CC:

Martha Williams, FWP Director

Richard Stuker, FWP Commission

Tim Aldrich, FWP Commission

Shane Colton, FWP Commission

Pat Byorth, FWP Commission

Logan Brower, FWP Commission

Corey Stapleton, Secretary of State

Montana State Legislators

Madison County

o Senator Jeffrey Welborn-R- Senate District

o Representative Ray Shaw-R- House District