Date: Tue, 02/26/2019 READY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 26, 2019 Contact: David Brooks, Montana Trout Unlimited (406) 543-0054 , david@montantu.org Shauna Stephenson, Trout Unlimited (307) 757-7861, shauna.stephenson@tu.org Lands package passes House in bipartisan vote Historic agreement restores LWCF, protects the Yellowstone River (Feb. 26, 2019) MISSOULA, Mont. -- A bill protecting hundreds of thousands of acres nationwide and restoring one of the country’s pre-eminent funding mechanisms for outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing access has passed the House 363 to 62. The historic legislation, which now heads to the President’s desk, will restore the Land and Water Conservation Fund and enact a mineral withdrawal to prevent new mining claims in the headwaters of the Yellowstone River. “As anglers and conservationists, we are encouraged by and thankful for the strong support Congress, especially our Montana delegates, have shown for LWCF,” said David Brooks, Executive Director of Montana Trout Unlimited. “The restoration of LWCF will keep us on the water for years to come. While there is more work to do to fully fund the program, the benefit of permanent reauthorization should be heartening to all sportsmen and women.” The Land and Water Conservation Fund is our country’s premier conservation, fishing and hunting access program, helping to secure fishing access sites across Montana and funding willing-seller public land acquisitions such as in the Tenderfoot drainage, an important tributary to the Smith River in central Montana. Also included in the package is the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, which would prohibit new mining claims on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park, including the North Fork of Sixmile Creek drainage, which supports an important population of native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. “Today is a good day for Montana sportsmen and women. Not only have we helped to secure the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, but we have made our nation’s premier conservation and access program permanent,” said Sharon Sweeney Fee, Chairwoman of Montana Trout Unlimited. “If you enjoy the great outdoors in Montana, then you’ve benefited from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Today we celebrate and tomorrow we get back to work with our delegation to make sure the program receives the full, dedicated funding that it deserves.” ### Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, Instagram and our blog for all the latest information on trout and salmon conservation.