Madison River Foundation

08/18/2020

Thank you to Senator Steve Daines Senator Jon Tester & Congressman Greg Gianforte for supporting the Great American Outdoors Act to ! This once in a generation victory will protect our lands and waters in Montana and across the country!

Additional thanks go to some outstanding partners in Montana: Montana Association of Land Trusts Montana Wilderness Association Montana Wildlife Federation

08/05/2020

We are all finding respite & rejuvenation outdoors this summer, but some of our most treasured spots are seeing an unprecedented amount of use. This high level of use can impact resources, experiences, and neighbors’ tolerance. Recreating responsibly means being able to ensure we protect these treasures, opportunities, and relationships for others to enjoy as well. The outside is in us all and we want to keep it that way. - Martha Williams, director Montana FWP.

08/05/2020

The Great American Outdoors Act is now law! GAOA will fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provide funding for long overdue maintenance on federal lands. A huge win for conservation!!

The Great American Outdoors Act is now law!!

This is the biggest win for our public lands in a generation and it ensures can protect our lands and waters forever!

07/22/2020

The House just passed the Great American Outdoors Act with tremendous bipartisan support! For the first time ever both the House and Senate have passed a bill to fully and permanently ! This is a historic moment for , and lands and waters across America.

07/15/2020

A permanent hoot owl restriction adopted by the commission last year for a portion of the lower Madison River will go into effect today, July 15.

The restriction will apply to the stretch of the river from the Bureau of Land Management’s Warm Springs Boat Launch to the confluence with the Jefferson River. This annual closure will be in effect from July 15 through Aug. 15 every year, starting in 2020.

Hoot owl restrictions prohibit fishing each day between 2 p.m. and midnight. Restrictions of this nature are enacted to protect fish, such as trout, which become more susceptible to disease and mortality when high water temperatures combine with additional stressors.

The Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission approved this permanent yearly restriction for the Madison River on Oct. 17, 2019, as part of an update to fishing regulations.

07/14/2020

Starting Wednesday, July 15, until August 15, hoot owl restrictions will prohibit fishing from 2PM to midnight on the lower Madison.

A monthlong ban on evening fishing will go into place Wednesday on much of the lower Madison River, a measure meant to protect the river’s trout from rising water temperatures.

07/14/2020

BREAKING NEWS: Last night Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that the House will vote on the Great American Outdoors Act on July 22nd! Call your Rep. and tell them to vote YES to !

07/02/2020

07/01/2020

“Messy rivers are healthy rivers” -Dr. Ellen Wohl

Dynamic, active river floodplains create some of the most biologically rich and economically important ecosystems in all of Montana. These broad, beautiful floodplains full of cottonwood galleries, willow thickets, and side channels are all the result of those rivers being free to move back and forth over time. What this basically means is that river banks need to erode because the river system desperately needs that sediment. A river can be thought of as a long, skinny, linear system. And from that perspective, erosion does not destroy land, it just moves it downstream. Sediment eroded from a bank along one part of the river is deposited along another, and willows, cottonwoods, and many other riparian plant species are entirely dependent on that freshly deposited sediment to germinate and grow. Not to mention the spawning fish, invertebrates, and shorebirds that enjoy freshly deposited sediment too!

A migrating river also topples trees and takes shortcuts across the floodplain, leading to side channels, backwaters, log jams, and floodplain pools. These are not only important habitat features for a huge number of wildlife species, they also force the river’s water to fill the floodplain. The water flows through a multitude of channels on the surface but is also pushed below the ground, where it is slowed down, cooled, and (at least temporarily) stored. Given the importance of water resources to all aspects of life in Montana, it is easy to see why maintaining messy rivers is vitally important to the future of humans and wildlife alike.

06/30/2020

The Great American Outdoors Act will fully and permanently , which will expand recreation access and grow the outdoor rec economy, and by investing in public land infrastructure. We need the House to pass this bill without amendment!

06/18/2020

Whether you’re tying on a salmon fly or putting a night crawler onto a hook, during Father’s Day weekend, everyone in Montana can fish for free.

While this family-oriented opportunity allows anyone to fish without a license on June 20-21, all other fishing rules and regulations are in effect and must be followed.

FWP encourages all anglers to be aware of boating and water safety on Montana’s rivers and streams, particularly this year as many rivers across the state are still experiencing spring runoff and flood conditions. Additionally, FWP reminds those with watercraft of any kind to remember to stop at all AIS inspection stations.

06/17/2020

Today the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Great American Outdoors Act will fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provide funding for long overdue maintenance on federal lands. Thanks Montana Senator Jon Tester and Senator Steve Daines for standing up for our public lands and waters!

The Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act, 73 to 25, allocating billions to recreation