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Committee hears bill to raise nonresident Smith River permit fee to fund corridor restoration
Summary
A sponsor presented Senate Bill 257 to increase the nonresident Smith River permit fee from $50 to $125 and direct the revenue into the Smith River Corridor Fund; proponents from conservation groups supported the change and Fish, Wildlife & Parks provided permit statistics.
A sponsor presented Senate Bill 257 on the floor of the Senate Fish and Game Committee seeking to increase the nonresident Smith River permit fee from $50 to $125 and to direct the additional revenue into the Smith River Corridor Fund.
Supporters told the committee the fee revenue pays for bank restoration, sanitation systems and other work to preserve recreational access. “All the revenue generated by the Smith goes right back into benefiting the Smith in terms of dealing with impacts of recreation,” Clayton Elliott of Trout Unlimited said during the hearing. Tom Jacobson of the Montana Wildlife Federation also voiced support, saying the funds help “keep the river healthy, clean, and secure.”
Why it matters: committee testimony described the corridor fund as a restricted account used for physical restoration of popular put‑ins and takeouts, for projects to reduce human waste impacts and for other mitigation work tied to increased recreational use. The sponsor said she first heard the issue while knocking on doors in her district and that the bill’s only change is on page 1, line 20, increasing the nonresident fee and directing the funds to the corridor account.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks licensing staff provided permit context when asked by the committee. Emily Cooper, licensing bureau chief with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said the program receives many more applicants than permits: “About 1,100” permits are available versus roughly “20,000 applicants,” she told the committee when asked how many applicants seek Smith River permits.
Several local residents and guides spoke in support, saying the river deserves targeted funding to repair bank erosion at popular put‑ins such as Camp Baker and to maintain sanitation systems purchased with previous corridor revenue. No formal committee vote was recorded during the hearing; the chair closed the hearing after proponents and informational witnesses spoke.
The committee will consider the bill in future business if it is put on a subsequent agenda.
