There is a
strong appetite for new state funding to support wildlife protection, improve
public access, and conserve more working lands in Montana according to new findings
by the Montana Outdoor Heritage Project.
The findings
are based on a significant statewide public outreach effort that solicited
input from one percent of the state’s population, including 50 community
conversations and 11,000 individual survey responses collected from Montana
residents between May and September.
“This was a
massive effort to understand what Montanans value, what they are concerned
about and how we should move forward together as a state to protect our outdoor
heritage,” said Christine Whitlatch, a volunteer for the Montana Outdoor
Heritage Project based in Billings.
Whitlatch
cautioned that while every effort was made to ensure geographic, ethnic and
political diversity in the outreach, results should not be considered a scientific
poll because more people participated from easier to reach areas.
Support for dedicated funding
Results of
the outreach show a majority of survey respondents—a whopping 83 percent—say they
would support more dedicated funding, even if it means increasing some state
taxes.
In addition
to more funding, Montanans suggested they would like to see more public-private
partnerships created to address conservation needs, forums to give communities
more input into how funding is spent and better education opportunities for
visitors and youth.
“My takeaway
is Montanans are ready to invest more in our state’s outdoor resources,” said
Dave Chadwick of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “The data suggests this is
coming from a shared concern about the pace of growth and how it’s impacting
Montana’s land, water and wildlife.”
A shared value
According to
the report, Montana’s outdoor heritage is a shared value regardless of where
participants live, how much money they make or whether they use the outdoors
for work or play.
That’s no
surprise according to Cole Mannix, a fifth-generation rancher from the
Blackfoot Valley and associate director of Western Landowners Alliance.
“Rural or
urban, we all depend on Montana’s land and water,” Mannix said. “In rural
areas, people focused on passing on the responsibility for agriculture and land
stewardship to future generations, while in urban areas, people focused on the
value of outdoor recreation and protecting wildlife and public access. Those
values can work hand-in-hand, especially when you can bring more funding to the
table.”
Assessing
challenges and priorities
Protecting
wildlife habitat and ensuring public access are the top issues to address in
the state according to the 11,000 Montanans who ranked funding priorities.
Eighty-six
percent of those surveyed say loss of access is the most important challenge
facing the state’s outdoor heritage.
When asked
to rank how funding should actually be allocated, protection of fish and
wildlife was the most important priority according to 81 percent of survey
respondents. That was followed by water quality improvements at 73 percent,
invasive species control at 69 percent, improving access to public lands at 63
percent, and protecting places to hunt and fish at 57 percent.
Moving forward
When it
comes to creating new revenue to invest in these priorities, participants
suggested a diversity of options. However, there are two areas where Montanans
found the most common ground.
Participants
generally agreed that out-of-state visitors should be asked to contribute a
higher share of new funding compared with state residents. Suggestions included
giving gateway communities more leeway to impose sales-tax on visitors and
higher fees for out-of-state second homeowners or vacation homes.
There was
also agreement that Montana should diversify user revenue beyond the sale of
hunting and fishing licenses by asking more outdoor users to invest in land and
wildlife protection. Suggestions included a sales tax on outdoor gear and new
user fees or licenses for non-hunting and non-fishing outdoor activities.
“At the end
of the day, we are pursuing a Montana-made solution to long-term conservation
of our state’s rich natural resources, and now we have a number of ideas to
bring forward to our lawmakers for consideration,” Chadwick said.
Visit
montanaheritageproject.com/support-for-conservation-funding-high-among-montanans
to read the report.
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.