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Montana lawmaker seeks three-year limit on public release of precise wildlife location data
Summary
Rep. Jonathan Karlen told the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee HB264 would bar disclosure of exact GPS or telemetry locations collected within three years to protect animals, landowners and researchers; Fish, Wildlife and Parks and partners urged clarifying language to preserve necessary interagency sharing.
Representative Jonathan Karlen introduced House Bill 264 on Jan. 30, saying the measure would stop near–real-time disclosure of precise wildlife GPS and telemetry coordinates that can be used to locate animals. "I could make an information request with FWP and say I would like all location data ... and I would be getting exact GPS coordinates," Karlen said, arguing that ready access to recent coordinates creates "fair chase" concerns and risks for cooperating landowners.
The bill would prohibit release of exact wildlife location coordinates collected within the past three years except for…
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