Gregoire said his lawyer told him that even if he were to win and be found not guilty, it wouldn’t settle the access dispute. That needs to go through civil court, he said, a case that could cost $100,000 or more.

When contacted on Thursday, Gregoire said, “Alex is a good guy,” and that he is waiting to see how the complicated issue of Crazy Mountains public access plays out before saying any more.

Negotiations

One of the wheels set in motion by the entire quarrel is that talks began in April between representatives of the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association, the Forest Service, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Colleen Coyle, a Bozeman attorney, has been acting as a facilitator for the group, which has met about five times. Her work is paid for by the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Seth said.

“Discussions have been going pretty well,” Coyle said. “There are maybe three or four landowners talking about some type of transaction to increase access.”