John,

Montana’s big game rifle season opens this weekend, and as sports men and women head out to their favorite hunting spots, this year Montanans have even more public lands they can access thanks to our work. 

A year ago, we had to fight to protect public access and conservation easements in Montana from our own Attorney General.

The fight for public lands is a personal one for me because of a family I know. 

This long-time ranching family worked for years with the State of Montana to put their ranch into a conservation easement. They wanted to do the right thing and protect these lands and habitat, keeping them open to us, the public, to hunt and recreate - forever. 

Then our Attorney General tried to stop it all--caving to special interests. He blocked Montana’s Habitat Montana program, which helps Montana farmers and ranchers obtain conservation easements and open up public access to all Montanans.

It wasn’t right. Montana values are about stewardship of our lands and protecting access for all us.

So, working with Governor Bullock, we took the Attorney General to court. We took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, and I argued it. I stood there before the justices of our highest court and fought for all the farm and ranch families this program had helped and for the future of conservation in Montana.

And we won. By a vote of 6-1, the Supreme Court stopped the Attorney General and saved the program. Today, you can go out there and hunt and camp on those lands. 
Check out new public access to hunt this weekend:
Thanks to our win, more landowners are stepping forward and building on the decades-long partnership with hunters, anglers, and recreationists to protect farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, and invite the public onto their land. There are now nearly 200,000 acres of easements in the works. 

Politicians like to talk about public lands. As an advocate, I’ve done more than just talk. 

Our public lands and access to hunt and recreate makes Montana special. They help us carry on the traditions of responsible hunting, fishing, and stewardship our parents taught us and their parents taught them. 

Cases like this are one of the reasons I got into this race. We need an Attorney General who fights for us, not against. Who wants to protect public lands and rural communities, not sell them off to rich special interests. 

If you agree, join us as a grassroots contributor today and help us keep this fight going. 
 
JOIN OUR TEAM
I hope you’ve had the opportunity to access these special places and make new memories with your family and friends.

If you are hunting this weekend, have fun and stay safe. 

-Raph Graybill
Horse Creek Conservation Easement
Birdtail Conservation Easement
North Sunday Creek Conservation Easement
North Sunday Creek Conservation Easement
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Paid for by Friends of Raph Graybill, PO Box 2728, Great Falls, MT 59403. Democrat.

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