Public access was secured at the Bitterroot River’s Poker Joe Fishing Access Site (FAS) in a Sept. 19 settlement agreement between Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and adjacent landowners. The agreement ensures public access to the FAS through a road easement. It also establishes that FWP will continue and enhance management activities at Poker Joe and make several road and site improvements. Access at Poker Joe has been limited periodically since Nov. 2006 when several nearby landowners placed a chain across the access road in response to concerns over speeding on the access road, parked vehicles blocking driveways and gates, garbage and litter, and overuse of the FAS. As a part of the Sept. 19 agreement, FWP will make several site improvements at Poker Joe to address these concerns, including expanding the site’s parking lot to accommodate 18 vehicles. “This agreement is a ‘win-win’ situation,” says FWP Attorney, Bill Schenk. “It preserves access, and the site improvements will help to better serve the needs of the public and address concerns the landowners have.” FWP asks hunters, anglers and recreationists to be aware of site regulations and respectful to the landowners and private property adjacent to Poker Joe. -fwp-
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