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MISSION STATEMENT
"The mission of PLAAI is to maintain, restore, and perpetuate public access to the boundaries of all Montana public land and waters."
Montana anglers coming out of winter hibernation may share the grumpiness of rousting grizzly bears when they try to access their favorite trout stream this spring. The unresolved battle over rights of public access to Montana streams at public bridge crossings has left private landowners free to continue closing access where their fences cross public rights-of-way, according to the Public Land/Water Access Association. (PLWA) PLWA is the grassroots group waging a legal battle against rich out-of-state landowners in Madison County who have blocked access to miles of the blue-ribbon Ruby River. That case is the Public Land/Water Access Association vs. the Madison County Commissioners. The arch enemy of the access advocates is Atlanta Industrialist James C. Kennedy, of Cox Communications fame and wealth. ... (more) |
Current Public Land Issues
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political action Economic interests are constantly attacking policies and legislation designed to protect the Public Trust with economic arguments.They continue to confuse the public trust with private enterprise. We need to impress upon all business interests the following advice: If you plan to conduct a business that depends on a public resource then you should expect to be regulated by policies that are consistent with the mandate necessary to properly manage that public resource. ... (more) |
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know your rightsRESEARCHING A PUBLIC ROAD( 12/16/2007 )
The Montana Wildlife Federation with which PLAAI is affiliated , is one of the lead organizations in the fight to maintain access to public land and water. Determining the status of an existing road( 12/16/2007 )
STEPS TO DETERINE THE STATUS OF AN EXISTING ROAD 1) Determine the exact location, including the county, township and range, section and quarter-sections (NW1/4, SW1/4, etc.
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Public Access Objectives
- Educating and informing the public on their ownership and access rights.
- Monitoring public access routes and identifying access problems.
- Initiating legal action when access has been illegally blocked.
- Monitoring public land sales exchanges, and purchases to insure that no transfers are made without full consideration of conservation and recreational values.
- Initiating programs and policies to expand public land and water access.
- Pursuing every legal and ethical avenue to protect and maintain your access to public lands and waters.
What can PLAAI Do For You?
Primarily we help hunters, anglers, and other recreationists fight back against the tide of privatization of public land and waters. Montana is changing and part of this change comes from outside interests who think they can grab “ownership” of a river or public land with "No Trespassing" signs, orange paint, barb wire, chains, lawsuits, legislation and other tactics. It takes an organization with “pit bull” mentality like PLAAI to deal with these situations. In many cases we are the ones who initiate appropriate legal action and are on the firing line.
PLAAI is an all volunteer organization with little overhead. Your donations are almost totally used to press the issue of maintaining access. Member contributions are our only source of income. Usually the deep pockets are on the other side.
We hope you'll take a moment today to join us in our mission to retain the traditional value of access to the public landscapes which make Montana such a special place.
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