Crimes siphon money from outdoor programs — and could affect access, managers say

Brett French

Vandals are costing law-abiding sportsmen and women money to repair facilities across the state and country and are threatening access to public and private lands.

“The more respect people have for public and private property, the more access is going to be open in the future,” said Mark Jacobsen, of the Bureau of Land Management’s Miles City office.

As evidence of a recent spree of vandalism at Strawberry Hill Recreation Area, east of Miles City, Jacobsen held up a sign noting area restrictions that had been riddled with 170 holes from .30 caliber, 9mm and .17 caliber bullets.

“Most of the people who did this probably took Hunters’ Ed,” he said.

Rite of spring

Vandalism seems to surge at recreation sites across Montana in the spring. In the Billings area, vandals damaged several fishing access sites. In the Flathead region, they blew up an outhouse. It’s easy to blame partying teenagers whooping it up out of the sight of law enforcement, but there are plenty of adults involved in such incidents as well.

The money to make repairs at fishing access sites comes out of the cash that anglers spend on licenses. So in essence, anglers foot the repair bill.

Signs aren’t the only targets. Wildlife poaching and thrill killing are also on the rise across the state and nation.

In April, two pregnant cow elk were found shot on private property in the Boulder River drainage south of Big Timber.

The poachers removed only part of the meat, leaving the rest to rot. In March, a 24-year-old Lewistown man was charged with 20 poaching violations. In February, a whitetail buck was shot in the head and part of its antler removed in the Malta area.

“This was a senseless act, and we’d like to catch up with whoever did it,” Fish, Wildlife and Parks warden Dirk Paulsen said at the time.

Spring vandalism also often includes four-wheel-drive, motorcycle and ATV riders carving new trails and damaging soft soils.

“Both public and private ground is affected,” Jacobsen said.

More teeth in law

A new state law passed in 2009 is aimed directly at vandals. Now, those convicted of vandalizing FWP property are required to forfeit their current hunting and fishing licenses and give up their hunting and fishing privileges for two years, in addition to any fines and restitution ordered by the courts.

Witnesses are asked to call the state’s TIP-MONT hotline to report violations at 800-847-6668.

“If the trend of vandalism continues to increase — as we are seeing — we may be forced to close areas and the public may lose their ability to recreate and continue to use their public lands,” Debbie Johnson, BLM’s Miles City Field Office manager, said in a prepared statement. “We can’t afford, nor should we continue to tolerate this abuse.”

In an attempt to educate the public, the nonprofit group Tread Lightly has launched an ad campaign utilizing six public-service announcements and hosts an online awareness course on its website, TreadLightly.org.

The six posters created for the campaign work with the tag line: “Respected access is open access.” One poster shows a bullet-riddled sign and reads: “It’s like shooting ourselves in the foot.” Another depicts a shot-up stove discarded along a country road and reads: “Don’t leave your home on the range.”

Jacobsen said vandalism such as that at Strawberry Hills, which also included driving off road, littering and tearing down fence posts, is not just a matter of costing the public money.

“Access is a limited commodity,” he said. “If you don’t respect it, you’re bound to lose it.”

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Source: http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/article_c27d9c4e-693f-11df-865d-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story

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