Attorney General Asked to Intervene in Access Case

An advocacy group is asking Montana's attorney general to intervene after Madison County leaders took no action to improve access to the Ruby River following a state Supreme Court decision.

The Public Land/Water Access Association won its case against landowner James Cox Kennedy in January after 10 years of litigation over blocked access to the river.

The Supreme Court ruled the public could use easements the county needs to maintain and repair the road and bridge to reach the river, leaving it to the county to decide what is "reasonably necessary and convenient."

But the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports county leaders say they need little or no room on either side of Seyler Lane for maintenance. Without that additional room, fishermen can't access the river without trespassing on Kennedy's property.