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MISSION STATEMENT
"The mission of PLWA is to maintain, restore, and perpetuate public access to the boundaries of all Montana public land and waters."
In a unanimous decision of Nov 17 ,2008 the Montana Supreme Court decided the Mitchell Slough is open to recreation under the state’s stream access law. The court ruled the 16-mile long slough/side channel roughly followed the century old historic course of a waterway and therefore was subject to public access and permitting like other natural waterways.For more infomation see article in accomplishments section of this website and link to Ravalli Republic article below. ... (more) |
Click map pins for Issue details.
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political action It is not over yet.Yes, we have won two very decisive legal victories in the last few months These decisions have helped to clear up the stream access picture. With the District Court decision on the Ruby River followed by the Supreme Court opinion on Mitchell Slough recreation water users are in a far better shape than we were before. ... (more) |
public land newsLegislature will again tackle access to bridges ( 11/28/2008 ) Legislature will again tackle access to bridges By JENNIFER McKEE (Gazette State Bureau) HELENA - Lawmakers are again poised to take on the ticklish issue of public access to state waters from county bridges - a problem they failed to resolve two years ago despite wide public support. What Others Are Saying About PLWA( 11/26/2008 ) From " FLY FISHING IN YELLOWSTONE PARK " website - October 2008 "Only vigilance and continued action and involvement will keep our traditions and laws in favor of the general public and not the entitled few. |
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know your rightsCaveat and Disclaimer( 11/28/2008 ) Information on this site is provided as a matter of information and education only. RESEARCHING 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.
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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 PLWA 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 PLWA to deal with these situations. In many cases we are the ones who initiate appropriate legal action and are on the firing line.
PLWA 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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