Chapter IV - Block Management Effectiveness 



Introduction 



As pan of our audit of the Block Management Program we reviewed 

 the mission of the program, its goals and objectives, and how the 

 program's success is measured. This chapter also discusses other 

 programs which address access and landowner compensation. 



Measuring Program 

 Success 



We traveled to six of the seven regions and asked staff what they 

 considered the program's goal. The general consensus was the goal 

 is to enhance public hunter access and improve landowner/ 

 sportsperson/department relationships. This is consistent with the 

 results of the initial Private Land/Public Wildlife Advisory Council 

 study. 



We then asked staff how they measure the success of the program. 

 What criteria is used to measure if the program is successful or 

 meeting its goal? What are the expected outcomes? The answers 

 varied from "number of hunter days" to "complaints from 

 landowners and hunters." Staff also mentioned the results of FWP 

 surveys sent to landowners enrolled in the program in 1996 and/or 

 1998, and a survey sent to sportspersons who hunted on a BMA in 

 1996. The surveys provided hunter and landowner satisfaction 

 levels with various aspects of the program such as hunter 

 management, methods of obtaining permission, landowner/hunter 

 relations, etc, and the program overall. No one had any consistent 

 outcomes or formal criteria they used to measure program success. 



Mission Statement and 

 Goals Created 



An internal working group created a mission statement, a set of 

 goals, and enrollment criteria in 1998. The mission statement starts 

 by describing the program as "... a cooperative, adaptable program 

 designed to maintain Montana's hunting heritage and traditions by 

 providing landowners with tangible benefits to encourage public 

 hunting access to private land. . ." It then goes on to describe what 

 seems to be the program's mission to ". . . promote partnerships 

 between landowners, hunters, and the department, and help manage 

 wildlife resources and the impacts of public hunting." 



Goals were established in five categories: Wildlife Management, 

 Hunter Opportunity, Landowner Relations, Administrative 

 Accountability, and Participant Education/Stewardship. Each "goaf 



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