Recreation businesses say lifestyle ‘threatened’

HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock is reaching out to businesses that help make outdoor recreation a $6 billion a year industry that employs 64,000 in Montana, in a plan that includes asking the state Legislature to create an office of outdoor recreation to ride herd on the industry’s future.

The governor led an Aug. 15 roundtable discussion with nine people from the outdoor recreation industry, telling them “public land access is one of the great equalizers we have in Montana.”

Montana has more than 30 million acres of state and federal land, 55 state parks and 12 ski resorts. It’s also known for its streams and trails.

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Bullock and the group discussed threats to outdoor recreation such as gates on roads, blocking of existing right of ways and as to where access could be blocked and not blocked.

Ryan Busse of Kimber Firearms in Kalispell said it was a good idea that businesses such as these got together.

“It’s time we became an advocacy group,” he said, adding “we are here because of the quality of life.”

Justin Waayenberg of Adipose Boatworks of Helena agreed.

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“If we lost access rights it would be devastating,” he said.

Among those at the meeting were Dan Vermillion of Sweetwater Travel, Livingston; Todd Trank of The Trailhead in Missoula; Jeff Welch of Mercury CSC, Bozeman; Alex Tyson of Visit Billings; Diane Bristol and Lee Fromson of Simms Fishing Products, Bozeman; Renee Sippel-Baker and Christine Eckert of Mystery Ranch Backpacks, Bozeman; Ben Bulis of American Fly Fishing Trade Association; Waayenberg and Busse.

Fromson said moving to Montana may be even more attractive for some outdoor enthusiasts as it was “impossible for young folks to live in Seattle anymore.”

Bulis said the outdoor recreation industry was under attack by elected officials from across the country.

“Our lifestyle is threatened,” he said.

Bulis said there is an effort to transfer federal public land to the state.

“If the federal government allows the transfer you will see our industries as a whole go away,” he said.

Fromson agreed.

“When it becomes an emotional argument, you can’t win,” he said.

Bulis, president and chief executive officer of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, said Tuesday he thought the meeting was productive.

“It’s good to be proactive rather than reactive,” he said.

“So much of our economy is dependent upon the outdoor recreation industry,” Bulis said. “I don’t think people realize how important it is to protect the outdoor economy.”

He said if approved, Montana would become one of a handful of states to have an office of outdoor recreation.

He hopes the state Legislature would approve such a position.

“It’s really important,” he said.

The roundtable discussion was piggybacking on an idea unveiled in June by the governor to create the “Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation.” The office would be part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The cost of starting the position will be worked through when the proposal makes its way through the legislature, officials said.

The person will develop a plan to shape the outdoor economic future of the state and make sure the state can support the growth of the outdoor industry.

State officials said the office will attract recreation industry anchors, advocate for balance within the outdoor recreating industry, advocate for workforce development training and develop a public-private marketing strategy.

Among those not at the meeting who support the proposal is Montana Trout Unlimited.

David Brooks, associate director of conservation for the group that protects and restores Montana’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, pointed to the closure of the Yellowstone River as a “prime example of the fears we have.”

A 183-mile stretch of the river was closed indefinitely by the state to all recreational activities on Friday, Aug. 19, after thousands of dead fish washed up along the river’s banks in the Paradise Valley area north of Yellowstone National Park.

Biologists are trying to determine whether the little-understood parasite that’s blamed for the deaths has infected fish further downstream and in several major tributes, The Associated Press reported.

“The more people who use resources the more vulnerable they can be to diseases and evasive species like this,” Brooks said.

But he said “we have long recognized that giving people access to public resources helps build an appreciation for these things.”

He said his organization will be in Helena in the 2017 legislative session supporting the governor’s proposal.

Bristol, senior director of employee and community engagement of Simms Fishing Products, said she would also help.

“We do see the benefit of having that representative in state government,” she said, adding it would aid Montana to attract businesses.

It would also help the state to have one point person for companies to speak with.

“It’s really confusing now,” she said. “Who would you contact? It’s pretty fuzzy now.”

“Any support we can provide Gov. Bullock to help people understand the importance of the role, we will do whatever we can,” she said.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, who is running against Bullock in the Nov. 8 election, criticized the Democratic governor’s plan.

“Montana does not need more government,” he said. “We have seen more than 20 percent growth in state spending (in) three years. What the state needs is new leadership, not more bureaucracy. Why is the governor spending taxpayer money to open more offices in Helena at the same time he is proposing to shut down campgrounds and state parks?”

Bullock has also proposed creating a new position, “public access specialist” within the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The person will troubleshoot specific issues preventing full public access to public land.

Roundtable members also told the governor they are having difficulty hiring people for open positions at their company.

“Being able to work with the labor pool is an interesting challenge for us,” Sippel-Baker said.

Waayenberg agreed.

“Finding a workforce is hands down our biggest problem,” he said.

Bristol said when construction jobs pick up, it prompts competition for her company to find workers for production, warehouse and service jobs.

Typically, the construction jobs are higher paying, but often seasonal.

“They may be thinking paycheck to paycheck and not looking at the future,” she said.

Bullock said perhaps the new office could help promote the jobs that are available in Montana.

Montana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2 percent in July while the national rate held at 4.9 percent.

Waayenberg said after the meeting he though the discussion was of benefit.

“I felt it was a good start,” he said in his Helena shop. “There’s a lot ahead to get implemented, but it was a good place to start.”

“We were able to talk about things that really matter to us,” he said.