The Pros and Cons 

 

Pros

• The taxpayer (through the BLM) gets over 5,100 acres of land in exchange for approximately 4,900 acres (total acreages in the final exchange will be determined through the valuation process).

• The public secures permanent and indisputable roadway access to the Breaks Monument.

• Thousands of Montanans and visitors can enjoy new or improved access to over 70,000 acres of currently inaccessible or very difficult to reach public land.

• The exchange provides timely access to important recreational and hunting ground within the Breaks National Monument – one of BLM’s top priorities in Montana.

• The public does not lose a single acre of roadway-accessible public land.

• The exchange avoids the need to construct a new, duplicative, expensive and environmentally destructive roadway through a national monument.

• The exchange is consistent with BLM’s public policy goals to “increase/improve public access to public lands through acquisitions, exchanges, [and] partnerships ...”

• Public land consolidation improves efficiency and cost effectiveness of land management for the BLM and taxpayer.

• Collaboration with the NBar and Anchor Ranches provides greatly enhanced opportunity for wildlife management.  

 

 

Cons

• Approximately 40 to 60 hunters each year, who currently fly or charter aircraft into the Durfee Hills, will have to ask permission to hunt on private land.