Martz was not in her office Wednesday and not available for comment. MWA President Ross Rodgers asked in his challenge. If Governor Martz s complaint is legitimate, she should be able to furnish a site-specific list of state lands no longer accessible due to the initiative. Although she refused to offer any details to back up the governor s position, Burton said she s sure some state land is affected. About 6 million acres would be affected in Montana.
Most state land is in isolated square-mile parcels across the state.
It is managed to generate money for schools. Burton said a ruling from a federal judge in Idaho last week said the initiative could affect the management of some neighboring lands. So clearly there must be some lands affected in Montana, Burton said. I am just not going to give a specific site. In a May 4 letter from Martz to President Bush, the Republican governor said the state has grave concerns over its ability to manage state lands landlocked by the roadless initiative.