---
title: "An Access Warrior’s Lonely (and Dusty) Crusade"
description: "Access is often lost with the stroke of a pen. Maybe it’s a county commission’s condemnation of a previously public road, or a land swap that fails to preserve recreational access. Regaining access is often an exercise in futility, which is why <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https://lastbestnews.com/site/2015/05/public-access-fights-won-in-courthouses-dusty-corners/\">this story out of Montana</a> is so encouraging, and instructive"
date: "2015-05-29"
modified: "2015-05-29"
authors:
  - name: "Andrew McKean"
    job_title: "Hunting and Conservation Editor"
    link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/andrew-mckean/"
url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/oc/access-warriors-lonely-and-dusty-crusade/"
categories:
  - "Conservation"
  - "Public Lands & Waters"
---

# An Access Warrior’s Lonely (and Dusty) Crusade

![](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/23/ML3WPYRYZ5TDZVVI3BFCHRK5LQ.png>)

Access is often lost with the stroke of a pen. Maybe it’s a county commission’s condemnation of a previously public road, or a land swap that fails to preserve recreational access.

Regaining access is often an exercise in futility, which is why [this story out of Montana](<https://lastbestnews.com/site/2015/05/public-access-fights-won-in-courthouses-dusty-corners/>) is so encouraging, and instructive. The reporter treks along with an access champion who understands that the keys to unlocking access are often in the unlovely back rooms of county courthouses, and buried deep inside obscure and dusty tomes. We all need someone as tenacious and curious as Bernard Lea.

Do you have a story of someone who has researched local-government proceedings to rediscover lost access?

## Author
Andrew McKean is *Outdoor Life’s* hunting and conservation editor, drilling into issues that affect wildlife, wild lands, and the people who care about them. He’s also OL’s optics editor, helping readers to make informed buying decisions. He lives outside Glasgow, Montana, where he hunts every day and season he can.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-mckean-32aa4310/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/amckean>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/aemckean/?hl=en>)