Celebrate over 1.25 million acres of public access in northeast Montana

GLASGOW, MT - Joining Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), Governor Greg Gianforte last week visited with a longtime partner of the Block Management Program in Valley County to thank him for his partnership and celebrate increasing hunting access for Montanans.

“Through Block Management, Montanans have access to nearly 8 million acres of private land to hunt and recreate, and even more when considering the access those acres provide to adjacent or isolated public lands,” Gov. Gianforte said. “I’m grateful for all our landowner partners in the Block Management Program who increase access and hunting opportunities for Montanans.”

The Block Management Program is a cooperative program between private landowners and FWP that provides the public with free hunting access to private land and helps landowners manage hunting activities.

As a block management program participant for nearly 25 years, Leonard Swenson is one of over 382 cooperators in Region 6 who provide public access to over 1.25 million acres of land.

Visiting with Swenson on his property west of Glasgow, the governor and FWP Region 6 administrators met with Swenson to learn about his family’s history of homesteading, the property, and his participation in the program.

Known to hunters as the Swenson Block Management Area, the property, in combination with land deeded by the Wittmayer Grazing Association, unlocks over 51,000 acres of public land which is frequented by over 1,000 hunters each year.

“I am glad to provide an area for folks to come to hunt. A lot of people come from out of state and don’t know where to start, so it’s great to have FWP as a resource for them to ask,” Swenson said.

Surveying the land, the governor joined Swenson for a drive around the property to view its location next to the Milk River as prime habitat for white tailed deer.

Joining the governor for the visit was FWP Region 6 Supervisor Drew Henry, who shared, “Landowners like Leonard and partners like the Wittmayer Grazing Association are critical to the success of Block Management programs. Landowners play a crucial role in supporting hunting traditions, wildlife management, and conservation efforts on both public and private lands in northeast Montana.”

To support landowners like Swenson, last spring the governor was proud to sign into law Senate Bill 58 to double the payment cap for landowners participating in Block Management from $25,000 to $50,000.

“Public access is one of the department’s top priorities,” FWP Director Dustin Temple said. “We respect private property rights and work collaboratively with landowners to manage Montana’s resources and the public’s opportunity to enjoy them.”

“Without good landowner relationships, we simply can’t do our jobs effectively whether that deals with public access, habitat enhancement, or wildlife management,” Henry added. “These relationships enhance FWP‘s effectiveness in managing and conserving Montana’s resources on behalf of the public.”

For more information on the Block Management Program, see here.