HELENA -- Montana voters strongly support the idea of swapping oil and gas leases in the Rocky Mountain Front in exchange for leases in less sensitive areas, a recent poll done for a group promoting the idea shows.

The poll question, done for the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, found that 50 percent of Montana voters favor these swaps, while 19 percent oppose them. Thirty-one percent were undecided.

It asked voters if they strongly or somewhat supported or strongly or somewhat opposed the idea and combined the support and opposition.

Twenty percent of voters strongly supported the swap idea, while 30 percent somewhat supported it, for a total of 50 percent in favor.

Nine percent of voters strongly opposed the swap, while 10 percent somewhat opposed the idea for a total of 19 percent against.

By gender, 57 percent of the men favored the swaps, while 26 percent opposed the idea, with 17 percent undecided. Forty-five percent of women were undecided, while 43 percent supported the lease swaps and 12 percent opposed them.

By media market region, results were: --Eastern Montana: 40 percent for the lease swaps, 20 percent were against and 40 percent undecided. --Billings area: 50 percent for the lease swaps, 19 percent against and 31 percent undecided. --Great Falls area: 49 percent for the lease swaps, 27 percent against and 24 percent undecided. --Butte-Bozeman-Helena area: 51 percent for the lease swaps, 15 percent against and 34 percent undecided. --Missoula-Kalispell area: 53 percent for the lease swaps, 18 percent against and 29 percent undecided.

The telephone survey of 625 registered Montana voters who said they were likely to vote in the November election was taken May 24-26 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The question was piggybacked on a poll done last week by Mason-Dixon for the Lee Newspapers of Montana. Under the arrangement with Lee, Mason-Dixon may sell additional poll questions on Lee polls, except to political parties. The Lee Newspapers doesn't receive results from the piggybacked questions or even know which groups, if any, asked the questions.

The Lee poll asked voters whether they support or oppose allowing more oil and gas development along the Rocky Mountain Front. Fifty-two percent supported more oil and gas development there, while 35 percent opposed, and 13 percent of the voters were undecided.

The same holds for those buying the piggybacked questions. They don't see the Lee poll results or have any influence on what questions are asked on the Lee poll.

The Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front made the results of the lease swap question public. It comes shortly after the Bureau of Land Management had scoping meetings to hear from the public about the proposed development.

''I'd say it is encouraging when you have 50 percent," said Roy Jacobs, a Choteau taxidermist active in the group and who has been involved in Friends of the Front for 25 years. ''I wouldn't be discouraged in those numbers."

The next step, he said, is to educate people about the possibility of getting Congress to approve swapping oil and gas leases in the Front for those in less sensitive areas and the risk of oil and gas exploration and development.

Jacobs said he'd like to see either a trade out or a buyout for the leases, adding: ''It will save everyone a lot of hassle." He said one oil and gas company said there's a 75 percent chance of not hitting oil or gas.

''To me, a buyout is a guarantee for them," he said. ''The EIS (environmental impact statement) is being done now. That is going to cost a lot of money. Then the appeal system. If the BLM goes for the let's go for it drilling, there are several options. Then the lawsuits all start. It could go forever. Those are all taxpayer dollars that are going to pay for it."