News for Immediate Release
April 18, 2018
Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, [email protected]
Legislation would have guaranteed public access to some tidal waters
located above private water bottoms; sportsmen vow to press on
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana House of Representatives has rejected a bill that would have codified the public’s ability to access certain waters in the state for fishing, hunting and other recreational uses.
Overall the bill, which failed to advance on Tuesday in a 59 to 37 vote, drew a positive response from public lands hunters and anglers in the state as well as users such as charter boat captains. The Southeast chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers supports efforts to expand public access for hunting and fishing in Louisiana.
“Great things are not achieved overnight,” said BHA Southeast Chapter Board Member Mark Seghers, who lives in Jefferson Parish.
“H.B. 391’s failure this week presents opportunities,” Seghers stated. “An opportunity to regroup. To strengthen the relationships created during scores of conversations and study sessions prior to the vote. An opportunity to continue to work with those who have been in the trenches on this issue for a long, long time. And an opportunity to understand the concerns of all sides and forge a solution that suits the greater good for everyone who cherishes the marshes and lowlands of South Louisiana.”
BHA is calling on Louisiana sportsmen and women to gather this summer and forge solutions to the challenge of securing public water access in the state. A BHA petition allows the state’s hunters, anglers and others to take that first step.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the sportsmen’s voice
for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.
Learn more about BHA:
About Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
The Voice For Our Wild Public Lands, Waters & Wildlife.