Protecting Public Access in Montana.
Since 1985.
PLWA works every day to make sure access to your public lands and waters is safe for tomorrow.
The mission of PLWA is to maintain, restore, and perpetuate public access to the boundaries of all Montana’s public lands and waters.
PLWA Continues to Oppose the East Crazies Inspiration Divide Land Exchange (ECIDLE).
Winter Newsletter is available here.
PLWA is pleased to welcome new Executive Director Alex Leone. Read more about Alex here.
Report an access complaint or join the AIRS program as a business partner by clicking the button above.
Judge allows coalition intervention in UPOM lawsuit to keep elk management public. Read more.
FWP Access Issues Under PLWA Investigation
PLWA Events
Participate with us online or out in the community. See what we have going on by clicking on a calendar event to the right.
LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU’RE AN ACCESS ADVOCATE
For only $25 you can partner with PLWA and put a Public Land Water Access Association Plate on your vehicle, camper, or trailer. Proceeds from our nonprofit plate help safeguard access to Montana's public lands and waters, protecting Montana recreation for generations to come. If you are a dealership, partner with us for free by letting folks know about the plate and we’ll send you materials and one of our program stickers to display!
Share the news and get your plate today!
Know your access rights.
When public access is threatened, we work with the public to investigate.
Our team receives daily messages and calls requesting information about public access rights, newly closed off access to public waters and lands, and complaints about Montanans and visitors unable to recreate on their public lands. Learn about your access rights, how to report closures, and how we approach public access research.
Public Access Issues
From landmark legislation like the Stream Access Law to working with landowners to open access to incredible public lands, to fighting in court when long-standing public access routes are illegally closed, PLWA will always advocate for your public access rights. Learn more about current and past access issues in Montana, and how you can help safeguard access.
PLWA Programs
Through our Public Access Investigation Program, our Education, Outreach, and & Action Program, and our Public Access Legal Services (PALS) Task Force, PLWA is working across the board to safeguard your access to public lands and waters across Montana. Learn about the ways in which PLWA is facing these challenges, and how you can be a part of this success story.
Support PLWA’s Access Work
PLWA is successful because we have great volunteers. Join our efforts to safeguard access by becoming a part of our team. Take our Access Investigation Certificate course, become an outreach volunteer with our AIRS or Plate Program, host events to educate about our work and reacreationists’ access rights, or become a board member. There are a multitude of ways you can support public access in Montana.
Community Engagement Programs
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Traditional Bowhunters of Montana
PLWA PARTNER ORGANIZATION
The Traditional Bowhunters of Montana (TBM) is dedicated to the preservation and advancement of traditional bowhunting values in Montana. “We promote high ethical standards for the hunting and taking of wild game by means of bow and arrow. The TBM provides fellowship to those who wish to pursue a traditional bowhunting lifestyle and is dedicated to continuing Montana's traditional bowhunting heritage.” Reach out to TBM to join, get involved, or donate today. Visit their website to learn more.
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Dennis Cates
PLWA ACCESS ADVOCATE
At August’s Annual Meeting, PLWA member and PAIC graduate Dennis Cates was awarded the Public Access Champion Award. This award is given to someone whose work, day in and day out, has helped PLWA thrive and grow as an organization of service. The Public Access Champion Award recognizes individuals who commit their time without fanfare or ego, and who make it possible for our initiatives to succeed. These award winners are the super stars of our movement, and the heart of our organization. Dennis exemplifies all these qualities.
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PLWA's Outreach Programming
GET INVOLVED
Do you know someone that would be a great spokesperson for public access issues? Is someone in your life quietly working to protect our access to Montana public lands and waters? Are you part of an organization that PLWA should be working with to potentiate our access power? Learn about our programs and reach out to PLWA to be a part of our Community Engagement work.
“There are some wild places across our nation's public lands that physically move you, creating a tightening in the chest, a loss of breath, or a tingling along the spine.”
― Mark Kenyon,
That Wild Country: An Epic Journey through the Past, Present, and Future of America's Public Lands
