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Public Land Groups Sue Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks over Corner-Crossing Position
The groups say Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has wrongly treated corner crossing as trespassing, despite about 871,000 corner-locked acres, onX data show.
- On Thursday, the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Public Land Water Access Association filed a lawsuit in Lewis and Clark County District Court challenging Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' position that corner crossing is unlawful.
- Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras defended the state's position during a May 13 presentation to the Environmental Quality Council, arguing corner crossing constitutes trespassing in airspace up to 200 feet above private property.
- The conservation groups argue the FWP directive "exceeds the statutory authority of FWP" and violates the Montana Administrative Procedure Act, seeking to overturn the agency's January 2026 memo on corner crossing.
- Montana Chapter of BHA Chair Jake Schwaller stated, "we fundamentally disagree with the Department on this issue and believe this must now be decided before a neutral court." Plaintiffs seek to nullify the memo.
- With 871,000 acres of corner-locked public land in Montana, the case highlights legal uncertainty in the 9th Circuit, distinct from the 10th Circuit where recent precedents favored access.
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Associated Press News+6 Reposted by 6 other sources
Public land groups sue Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks over corner-crossing position
Two public land access groups filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ position that corner crossing is “unlawful” in Montana.
·United States
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Lawsuit seeks to "cement legality" of corner crossing in Montana
A group of conservation advocacy organizations are suing the State of Montana to cement the legality of corner crossing in Montana.On Thursday, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Public Land and Water Access Association filed a lawsuit against Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Lewis and Clark County District Court.The legal action comes one day after Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a Republican, addressed the Montana Environmental Quality Council…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources8
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 38%
C 50%
12%
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