This planning effort will produce Montana's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), which is required for the state to receive funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

What is SCORP?

The Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) serves as a guide for local, state, and federal agencies in the development of future outdoor recreation opportunities. It is legally mandated and required under Chapter 2 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Program, Federal Assistance Manual, Volume (69). This five-year SCORP identifies the outdoor recreation needs of Montanans.

SCORP Requirements:

1. Must be updated every five years.

2. Requires an assessment of available opportunities and demand for outdoor recreation.

3. Includes an implementation component outlining recommended actions consistent with plan goals.

4. Completion of the SCORP ensures Montana's continued eligibility for Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funding.

What is the Land and Water Conservation Fund?

LWCF is the largest source of federal matching funds for outdoor recreation development and improvements available to state, tribal, and local government entities. Montana's LWCF Program has funded over 800 projects throughout the state since its inception in 1964. The SCORP will guide investment and distribution of LWCF funds over the next five years based on demonstrated public need.

FWP is at the helm of shaping a five-year vision and a set of priorities and action steps for outdoor recreation in Montana. These insights will guide decisions about where to focus our energy and resources across the outdoor recreation landscape.

Project Objectives

Gather: Assemble a diverse coalition to collaboratively create a vision and set of priorities for Montana's outdoor recreation.

Develop: Craft an action document that reflects the needs of Montanans, public and private recreation providers, land managers, users, and other stakeholders in the outdoor recreation economy.

Support: Back the development of the vision and priorities with data and input from a broad array of stakeholders.

Ensure: Engage historically underrepresented groups such as rural communities, indigenous communities, and people with disabilities through targeted outreach.

Project Timeline

Data Collection & Information Gathering (January - March 2024):

Collect insights from public and private land managers, recreation providers, individual users, and other stakeholders in the outdoor recreation economy. Gather feedback through a Recreation Provider Survey, a Public Recreation Use Survey, and a series of public workshops.

Draft Vision and Priorities (March – June 2024):

Review data and information to create a draft vision and priorities for outdoor recreation in Montana over the next five years.

Public Feedback and Input (July – September 2024):

Collect public feedback and input on the draft five-year vision and priorities. The public will have the opportunity to review and provide input through an online platform hosted on this website, along with targeted focus group conversations.

Final Production and Design (Fall 2024):

Finalize the report and outreach materials that will bring Montana's five-year vision for outdoor recreation to life.

We value your thoughts and feedback. FWP will be engaging with various stakeholders using a range of tools. Learn more about how you can be a part of Montana's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

Public Recreation Use Survey

All Montanans are encouraged to complete this short survey to help FWP understand outdoor recreation needs and trends of residents across the state. The survey should only take around 10 minutes to complete and is open until March 15.

Take the Survey

If you would like to receive notification about the release of the survey join our mailing list.

Recreation Provider Survey

This survey is specifically for Recreation Providers in Montana. To be considered a Recreation Provider you must represent a municipality, recreation district, non-profit or state/federal agency that manages recreation trails or facilities and/or hosts recreation programs on public or private land. If you are interested in participating in this survey and haven’t heard from FWP, please contact us by using the information at the bottom of the page.

Public Workshops

Join FWP for one of nine workshops happening statewide. During these workshops, participants will have the opportunity to share their input on the key priorities for the future of outdoor recreation in Montana. The feedback gathered will play a crucial role in shaping the goals of Montana's SCORP. 

 

The workshops will be from 6-8 p.m. at the following locations:

 

Feb. 21, Kalispell

FWP Region 1 Headquarters

490 North Meridian Road

 

Feb. 22, Great Falls

FWP Region 4 Headquarters

4600 Giant Springs Road

 

Mar. 4, Helena

Montana WILD Auditorium

2668 Broadwater Ave

 

Mar. 5, Billings

FWP Region 5 Headquarters

2300 Lake Elmo Drive

 

Mar. 6, Miles City

FWP Region 7 Headquarters

352 I-94 Business Loop

 

Mar. 7, Glasgow

Cottonwood Inn & Suites

54250 US-2

 

Mar. 12, Virtual Workshop

Zoom

Register here: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUud-qqqTgjHt3kzI8O--QiHxWgNcrtADvr

 

Mar. 13, Bozeman

FWP Region 3 Headquarters

1400 South 19th Ave

 

Mar. 14, Missoula

FWP Region 2 Headquarters

3201 Spurgin Road

Draft Vision and Priorities Public Input

FWP will seek public feedback and input on the Draft Vision and Priorities once developed. This opportunity will be open to everyone, with information posted on this website in summer 2024. If you would like to receive email announcements about the opportunity, join our mailing list.