Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Partnership in Northeast Montana Opens & Improves Access to 13,000 Acres Adjacent to Fort Peck Reservoir

~20 square miles of upland bird, big game, and outdoor recreation lands

Glasgow, Mont. – In partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MT FWP), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and a devoted private landowner, Pheasants Forever is proud to announce the completion of a new 13,000-acre Public Land Access Agreement (PALA) adjacent to Fort Peck Lake. Public land users now have access to an additional ~20 square miles of upland bird and big game habitat in northeast Montana for the 2022-2023 season.

PALA contracts are a creative way for landowners to provide public access for hunting and/or fishing, in exchange for a payment – up to $15K per agreement – and other negotiated improvements that facilitate entry to inaccessible or under-accessible (no legal access point within two miles) state and federal properties. In this case, access has been improved and created to BLM acres and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge – the nation’s second largest national wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states encompassing approximately 1.1 million acres.

Pheasants Forever recognizes Tori Ogolin, the organization’s most recent coordinating wildlife biologist in eastern Montana, for her efforts to facilitate this sprawling land access partnership with local ranchers. “I am so excited to see these acres open to the public. This project will provide endless opportunities for memories to be made in the outdoors,” expressed Ogolin.

“As a landowner, I appreciate an organization rewarding us for our contribution to not only local sportsmen and women, but wildlife as well. All in all, working with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Bureau of Land Management, and Pheasants Forever has been a very positive experience and I look forward to continuing our relationship,” stated the participating landowner.

Potential access agreements are reviewed by the Private Land/Public Wildlife Advisory Committee for a recommendation to MT FWP whether to fund the agreement. Contract lengths are for a minimum of one year and maximum of ten years with payments made annually. Landowners, in collaboration with FWP, determine when, where, and how the public may access public land in accordance with program guidelines, including the possibility of limiting travel to foot traffic only.

Montana’s Public Land Access Agreement is one of many state access initiatives contributing to the overall goals of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Call of the Uplands® national campaign - a monumental initiative to save America’s uplands and cultivate the next generation of conservationists and hunters.

Access to the 13,000-acre parcel opened July 1. The property can be found in Garfield County south of the Dry Arm of Fort Peck Lake. More information and access rules can be found on MT FWP’s Hunt Planner under the “other access opportunities” layer.

About Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 567,500 habitat projects benefiting 22 million acres.

Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org