Tester hails expanded fishing access near Fresno Dam

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Reclamation restoring fishing access near the Fresno Dam outside Havre. Tester secured a public meeting in Havre last summer for local sportsmen to share their concerns with agency officials:

“Montanans cherish public access to our public lands, lakes and rivers, and we must always responsibly balance that key part of our heritage with national security. This common-sense solution strikes that balance, and I appreciate the Bureau responding to the concerns of Montana’s sportsmen and women.”

Sportsmen’s access to prime fishing waters just below the dam, on the Milk River, was restricted after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Tester, Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, pushed agency officials to implement a new access plan, saying that Montana anglers “know the current situation isn’t working.”