PARKS DIVISION 



The Montana State Legislature created authority for the State 

 Park System in 1939 when it defined its purpose of "...conserving 

 the scenic, historic, archaeologic, scientific, and recreational 

 resources of the state and providing for their use and 

 enjoyment...." The Parks Division now manages 335 park, boating, 

 and fishing access sites which host over 4 million visitors 

 annually. It also administers the state's Snowmobile Program and 

 the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal grants-in-aid 

 program for local and state outdoor recreation projects. 



Visitation 



Visitation to Montana's state park and fishing access sites 

 during calendar year 1986 increased over the previous year by an 

 estimated 5 percent. The following table outlines visitation 

 rates over the last five years. 



Calendar Year 



1982 



1983 



1984 



1985 



1986 



Visits 



4,146,400 



4,469,700 



4,550,100 



4,610,200 



4,824,500 



% Change from Previous Year 



+17% 



+ 8% 



+ 1% 



+ 1% 



+ 5% 



Pivig io n A ct iviti es 



Land Section . A table summarizing Department land acquisition 

 and control for FY 1986-87 follows: 



Type of Area 



State Parks 



State Monuments 



State Recreation Areas 



Fishing Access Sites 



*Total 



Number of 

 Sites as 

 of 7/1/86 

 11 

 20 

 79 

 232 

 342 



Number of 

 Sites as 

 of 6/30/87 

 11 

 24 

 81 

 2AR 

 364 



Total Acres 

 15,369.53 

 6,510.52 

 9,911.22 

 20,469.76 

 52,261.03 



These figures do not include a state recreation road, a state 

 recreation trail (in the Sluice Boxes State Monument area) and 

 five state recreational waterways. 



In fiscal years 1986 and 1987, Land Section activity accounted 

 for the addition of nearly 2,000 acres to the Fishing Access Site 

 Program. A few sites were developed to accommodate public use. 



During the biennium, the Lands Section effectively dealt with the 

 Department ' s numerous land transactions and burgeoning land 

 files, reporting quarterly to the Director's Office, the Fish and 



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