Research IDs lands along Yellowstone River that may be public

Research done by a coalition of local groups has identified 10 tracts of land along and in the Yellowstone River between Laurel and Billings that may be public. Ultimately the groups would like to see public islands and former islands opened to river travelers for camping, hunting and recreation along the Yellowstone’s entire length, said Mike Penfold, who’s leading the effort. Although identifying the lands and then having them ruled public takes time and money, Penfold said the process is still cheaper than buying land. To find the lands, the groups first commissioned a geomorphology study of the river by Womack and Associates, a geology and engineering firm. The study showed which islands may have existed before Montana became a state in 1889. Islands that formed before Montana became a state are state lands, even if they later attach to the bank. Islands in the river at the time Montana became a state that were never patented are federal land, even if they later attach to the bank. From that survey, the groups identified 22 tracts between Billings and Laurel that were potentially public. “That gave us a lot of areas that might fit that category,” Penfold said. “Then we looked at where taxes were being paid.”...more

Mike Penfold is the former State Director of the BLM in Montana and it doesn't surprise me he is working to increase the size of the federal estate. I worked with him (or tried to) in the 80s.