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Tradition under fire
Posted: Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006 - 12:45:56 pm MST

Chris Peterson/Hungry Horse News photos Paul Murphy stands at the North Valley Sportsmen Club’s shooting range Monday. The Club’s lease with the state more than doubled. Murphy wants get opinions on purchasing a plot of land to serve shooters in the North Valley.

Shooting Club's state land lease now more than $9,000 a year By CHRIS PETERSON Hungry Horse News For years in Columbia Falls, folks have enjoyed a Montana tradition of shooting their guns. Sometimes just to get them sighted in for hunting season. Sometimes to sharpen their skills. Other times just for fun.

Make no mistake, however, guns and Columbia Falls are almost like bread and butter.

But growth in the valley may change that. As land values have skyrocketed, so has the lease the North Valley Sportsmen Club pays on the 27 acres of land it uses north of town.

In fact, the lease for this year has more than doubled. It used to be under $4,000, said Paul Murphy, range committee chairman for the club. This year, it's more than $9,300, he said.

The lease rate is based on 5 percent of the full value of the land, said Steve Lorch, a land use planner with the state Department of Natural Resources.

That rate is locked in for five more years.

The Club can stomach the increase this year. But the future remains in doubt. The club, which has about 350 members, can only pay so much, Murphy noted.

They've also invested heavily into the property they lease.

Over the years they've added structures and target ranges and cleared brush and made other improvements. All of it will be lost if they can't afford the lease.

And as land values continue to climb, Murphy is worried that the future of Montana traditions, like sanctioned shooting ranges, is in jeopardy - just like many other Montana values, such as logging, farming and even access to a favorite fishing hole.

As land prices skyrocket, sportsmen find themselves locked out.

Murphy hopes to at least get the ball rolling on a solution.

He notes that Whitefish's shooting range is also on state land and faces a similar financial situation.

“Most of the shooting ranges in the Flathead are in trouble,” Murphy said.

He said he's been eyeing a host of solutions, from partnerships with local law enforcement agencies to lobbying the governor's office to looking for a plot of land to purchase outright,

“As our population increases, it is even more important to have an adequate shooting range,” he said.

To that end, Murphy has invited a host of interested parties to a meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 (tonight) at the North Valley Community Room on Nucleus in Columbia Falls. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.

“Time is short and giving up is not an option,” Murphy said.

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