Language that would outline how commercial Smith River boat trip launches would be reallocated to other outfitters is contained in a proposed rule that will be considered by the Montana State Parks and Recreation Board at its Aug. 20 meeting.
The proposal has faced opposition from outfitters who argue the rule is unnecessary and comes as the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is facing litigation regarding a Smith River permit holder’s transfer of his business.
Under the rule, FWP would reallocate launch days to other outfitters by lottery if, for instance, an outfitter’s permit was revoked.Â
Concerns expressed by outfitters during a July 19 hearing that existing rules are sufficient did not sway the agency from moving forward with the proposal.
Volunteers from Montana Vet Program and personnel from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Forest Service float down the Smith River during a latrine removal project on the river in early April
“This is a situation of looking for problems where nearly 25 continuous years of history have proven they’ve never existed,” outfitter Mike Geary told the hearing officer.
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Geary, through his Healing Waters Lodge, sued FWP earlier this year after the agency rejected a transfer of his permitted launch days to the incoming buyers of his business.
Mike Bias, executive director of the Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana, called the proposed rule “redundant and duplicative of existing rules and law in place.”
FWP attorney Jeffrey Hindoien reviewed the comments and wrote that even though scenarios used to describe a need for reallocation may not occur, the department wants to implement the rule to “provide certainty and clarity in terms of the process to be followed” should an incident arise.
The meeting can be seen online via Zoom beginning at 9 a.m. by going to the State Parks and Recreation Board’s webpage.
Those interested in making a public comment during the meeting must register online by noon on Aug. 19 on the Fish, Wildlife & Parks webpage.Â
Another interesting item on the board’s agenda is proposed budget priorities for 2026-27. Included in the group’s information packet is a prediction of the FWP general license fund balance.
FWP’s general fund is financed by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, not by any general fund allocations. The license dollars account for about 80% of the agency’s funding.
“The general license account needs approximately $10 million to maintain operations and pay current liabilities, the majority of which are payroll expenses,” according to a 2023 FWP budget explainer.
A graph provided to the state parks board shows the agency’s general fund balance declining from more than $104 million in 2023 before bottoming out around less than $60 million in 2026.
The decline is based on expenditures increasing from more than $68 million in 2023 to a high of $102 million in 2026. After that year, spending is predicted to fall to around $73 million for the next two years.
Over the course of the time span, income is projected to remain flat at around $78 million. By 2031, FWP is predicting the general fund balance would still be about $4 million shy of revenue.
The steepness of the decline in the fund balance has moderated since 2023. Back then, the fund was predicted to fall to just over $20 million by the end of this year. That’s in part because expenditures have not increased as rapidly as expected.
Also included in the parks board’s packet is a prediction for the FWP Parks and Outdoor Recreation Big 4 Fund. This fund is powered by the bed tax, park fees, motorboat fuel tax and the state Coal Tax Trust Fund.
In 2023, the fund balance was predicted to be flat from 2024 through 2029 at around $16 million. Now FWP is predicting the fund’s balance will climb beginning next year from almost $20 million to a high of $42 million in 2031.
For the full state parks board agenda and background on the scheduled topics, go to the State Parks and Recreation Board page on the FWP website.
