This is a reply to FWP regarding their Proposal to build a Rifle Range at Logan Montana:
Sam, you know my thoughts, and you have visited the FWP property in Great Falls (a tail of Public / Private partnership). It is a waste of FWP resources until FWP identifies the organization that is going to be responsible for the day-to-day management of the range. It would be entirely different if this was a shooting club-driven project vs. FWP driven.
There is a wonderful range at Trident that will meet all of the needs of the surrounding public. It costs money to run a range. Example: the cost to change the indoor filters on a state of the art Indoor Range runs about 300K – Roads cost money, target backers have to be changed about 4 times per year, weeds have to be sprayed and mowed. Mowing is 3-4 times per summer to reduce fire hazard (we have had fires in great falls), then you have security lighting, cameras, website, and other tools to reduce vandalism and maintain community information.
Sam, it is NOT about the MONEY, it is about the man power to get all of the above tasks scheduled, bidded, and completed and maintained.
Who is going to run the membership Safety trainings, most insurance companies require range safety trainings for ALL shooters.
Who is going to keep shooters from dragging their old washers, dryers, computers, TVs etc for shooting practice?
All of this management and maintenance costs money and man power and the Logan project has not identified the NON-FWP citizens who are going to wrestle this project.
AND, with the shortage of grazing land available in Montana it is a Crime against Agriculture to turn good grazing land into a field of lead.
The great falls range kept 95% OF THE farmland and used the Non-farm land for shooting.
Great Falls has a team of about 20 who do 90% of the work; out of a membership of 600.
If FWP has their heart set on a NEW range, in MT, then Great Falls can use about 7 new shooting lanes and a NEW indoor range for rifle and archery. We have the land and man power, we have the engineers and environmental scientists, we have the shooters, Great Falls just needs the money.
Randy Knowles, Great Falls, Mt
Author: Staff
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