People come from all over the world to fish the Madison River and people come from all over the area to float on its waters during the summer. What does the future of Madison River recreational use look like? That’s a question the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is trying to answer.
Use of the river has increased considerably in recent years, and this has led to social conflict and calls for change. On Nov. 12, the Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to initiate a scoping process to better understand the public’s feelings about appropriate management objectives for the river. The part of the river under consideration for this scoping process is from Quake Lake to Ennis Lake, and from the lower end of the Beartrap Wilderness to the confluence with the Jefferson River.
Morgan Jacobsen from FWP says his agency is asking the public to provide their opinions on the proposed Madison River Recreation Management Goal. Does it incorporate their interests and vision for the river? The department is also seeking public opinion on the various alternatives to dealing with four major recreational issues on the Madison River: 1) Commercial Fishing Outfitter Management, 2) Social Conflict Management; 3) Lower River Recreational Use; and 4) Angler Use Management. Jacobsen says the public comment deadline is Monday, January 6th, and comments can be made on-line at fwp.mt.gov. Jacobsen talked with Montana This Morning’s Chet Layman as part of the weekly This Week in Fish and Wildlife segment.
