GLASGOW – Joining Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Gov. Greg Gianforte last week visited with a longtime partner of the Block Management Program in Valley County.

“Landowners like Leonard are absolutely essential when it comes to the success of public access programs in Montana,” said Katie Iverson, FWP access coordinator in Region 6. “Their willingness to allow the public on their private property for hunting is vital to the continuation of Montana’s hunting heritage.”

“Through block management, Montanans have access to nearly 8 million acres of private land to hunt and recreate, and even more when considering the access those acres provide to adjacent or isolated public lands,” Gov. Gianforte said. “I’m grateful for all our landowner partners in the Block Management Program who increase access and hunting opportunities for Montanans.”

FWP’s Drew Henry, Katie Iverson and Gov. Gianforte receive a tour from long time block management landowner Leonard Swenson.

The Block Management Program is a cooperative program between private landowners and FWP that provides the public with free hunting access to private land and helps landowners manage hunting activities. 

As a Block Management Program participant for nearly 25 years, Leonard Swenson is one of more than 382 cooperators in northeast Montana who provide public access to over 1.2 million acres of land. 

Visiting with Leonard Swenson on his property west of Glasgow, the governor and FWP staff heard the history of Swenson’s family homesteading the property, and his participation in the program. 

Known to hunters as the Swenson Block Management Area, the property, in combination with land deeded by the Wittmayer Grazing Association, unlocks more than 51,000 acres of public land that is frequented by over 1,000 hunters each year. 

“People love to get out and see different country, and I’m glad I can give them that opportunity,” Swenson said. “FWP is always eager to help me with anything I need, and the department has been great to work with.”

“Landowners like Leonard, and the Wittmayer Grazing Association, are critical to the success of the BMA (Block Management) and PALA (public access land agreement) programs,” said Drew Henry, an FWP wildlife biologist. “Landowners play a crucial role in supporting hunting traditions, wildlife management, and conservation efforts on both public and private lands in Region 6.”

FWP’s Katie Iverson and Drew Henry along with Gov. Gianforte talk to Leonard about his involvement in block management

During the last legislative session, the governor signed Senate Bill 58 into law. The bill doubled the payment cap for landowners participating in block management from $25,000 to $50,000.

FWP’s Public Access Land Agreement program also has 30 projects that allow Montanans access to more than 200,000 acres of inaccessible or under accessible public lands.  

“Public access is one of the department’s top priorities,” FWP Director Dustin Temple said. “We respect private property rights and work collaboratively with landowners to manage Montana’s resources and the public’s opportunity to enjoy them.”

“Without good landowner relationships, we simply can’t do our jobs effectively whether that deals with public access, habitat enhancement, or wildlife management,” Henry added. “These relationships enhance FWP‘s effectiveness in managing and conserving Montana’s resources on behalf of the public.”

Formally started in 1985, the Block Management Program is a cooperative program between private landowners and FWP that provides the public with free hunting access to private land and helps landowners manage hunting activities.

For more information on the Block Management Program, see the FWP website.

Contacts: Kaitlin Price, Office of the Governor

Greg Lemon, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks