Jody Cox operates a car shuttle company from his cattle ranch south of Great Falls near Ulm. It sits amid the Smith River’s winding valley, abutting green hills speckled with cattle.
"I floated a part of it just a couple years ago and it's always gorgeous, it's fun," Cox says.
He lives just a half mile from Eden Bridge, the end point for floaters, anglers and any person able to get a permit for the Smith. In recent years, only about 10 percent of people who apply get in.
Cox shuttles cars from upstream to his property for when floaters arrive. This year he’s already moved about 125 cars.
"Just today I brought home several Utah plates, some Oregon plates," Cox says. "There's still a lot out of out-of-state people, even though if I'm not mistaken, I think 90% of the permits are issued to in-state people."
Cox is right. Montana’s last two legislative sessions saw efforts to change regulations around the river to favor in-state residents.
In 2023, lawmakers agreed to cap nonresident permits at 10 percent of the total. They also instituted a “bonus point” system to increase chances of pulling a permit if someone has been unsuccessful in the past.
This year, lawmakers adjusted the system again. A bill that increases the cost of nonresident bonus points from $50 to $125 was approved with bipartisan support. Montana residents pay just $5.
Prior to these changes, nearly 40 percent of permits went to nonresidents. Helena Dem. Sen. Laura Smith said in a hearing that this year’s change stemmed from her time meeting with constituents.
"One of the things that folks talked about, in addition to public lands, was Smith River permits. And they were talking about the fact that folks weren't really pulling the permit," she said.
Smith says she hopes the changes continue to fund preservation of the river and improves the permitting system as a whole.
Montana Public Radio is a public service of the University of Montana. State government coverage is funded in part through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
