# Froelich Column



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Other views: Froelichs didn't tell full story
By Bob Kellam, The Forum
Published Sunday, May 30, 2004
In their recent commentary (Forum, May 16), Rep. Rodney Froelich, D-Selfridge, N.D., and Kathryn Froelich made statements about their lawsuit challenging the state's posting laws. I'm confused by many of the statements and hope the Froelichs will set the record straight.

First, they state: "We do not own one acre of CRP land. We do not own or operate a guide or outfitting business. For anyone to pontificate that our current lawsuit is for personal gain would be a huge misstatement of fact."

According to records at the office of the the North Dakota Secretary of State, a business named Arikara Outfitters LLP, has as its principal place of business the same address as is listed for Froelich's legislative contact information. The nature of business is listed as guide and hunting outfitting. An Internet search for Arikara Outfitters turns up a nice Web page offering 20,000 acres of land, called the Froelich Ranch, for clients to hunt various species of game. The address listed on the Web site is the same as the Secretary of State and legislative information.

This information and the statement by the Froelichs seem inconsistent. Perhaps the Froelichs lease the land to an outfitter, or perhaps family members, and not the Froelichs themselves, operate the guiding and outfitting business on their property. At one level or another, however, it seems the Froelichs, or their land, are closely associated with guiding and outfitting.

A change in the trespass law would greatly enhance the guide and outfitting industry, an industry that has played a disproportionate role in the decline in the quality of North Dakota hunting for the vast majority of resident and non-resident hunters alike. Land that has not been posted over the years would automatically become posted through a law change, further complicating already difficult access issues.

Also, Froelich claims the current access law violates his Fifth Amendment rights. In certain parts of the state, there is still a fair amount of unposted land, and I know several communities are encouraging landowners not to post their land in order to facilitate access for hunters and their dollars.

What about the rights of those landowners who choose to freely grant access and/or don't want to be distracted by hunters, and elect not to post their land for those reasons? Are their rights less important than the Froelichs' rights? Why should they be forced to post their land affirmatively granting access?

Finally, Froelich tries to downplay the role of the Farm Bureau in the Northern Plains Public Interest law Firm and the lawsuit. On its Web site, however, the North Dakota Farm Bureau states: "A public interest law firm formed through the initiative of North Dakota Farm Bureau has filed a lawsuit &#8230; Aamundstad said NPPILF was formed to litigate this case and others like it that affect farmers, ranchers and rural communities."

The Northern Plains Public Interest Law Firm is patterned after similar organizations in other western states that have promoted the commercialization of and profiteering from fish and game and worked to exclude average, common outdoors enthusiasts. And anyone who has followed the hunting debates over the last few years knows that Farm Bureau has worked, at every opportunity, against the interests of resident sportsmen and women. It seems that, to Farm Bureau, the hunting debates have become more about an opportunity for self-promotion through confrontation and fight than about finding solutions that can work reasonably well for everyone.

Contrary to Froelich's comments, it would appear Farm Bureau is "The Wheel," turns the wheel and is the real driving force behind the suit, and through it, wishes to further divide Dakota citizens for another opportunity at self-promotion, and further facilitate profiteering from the state's game for some of its prominent members. That's what "rights" this suit seems to be all about.

Kellam, Fargo, is an avid, lifetime North Dakota outdoorsman. E-mail [email protected]
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Thanks Bob, for a whiz bag editorial! DM


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Telling it the way it is, excellent column!!!
Thank You!!


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

:thumb:


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Mr Froelich must know of "nodak outdoors" let's here a rebuttle.


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## jhegg (May 29, 2004)

What ever happened to Mr. Froelich :-?


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Haven't heard a word, I received a bunch of support e-mails 1 negative. nothing from the FB either.


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