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HISTORY MADE ON THEROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT
WINTER 2015Dyl
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Montana Wilderness Association works with communities to protect Montana’s wilderness heritage, quiet beauty, andoutdoor traditions, now and for future generations.
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www.wildmontana.org
Montana Wilderness Association is a proud member of Montana Shares and sends a huge thanks to everyone who contributes to MWA through workplace giving. Montana Shares provides MWA with a reliable and consistent source of income from participants in workplace giving campaigns.
Montana Shares, PO Box 883, Helena, MT 59624 800-823-2625 [email protected] www.montanashares.org
Wild Montana is a publication of the Montana Wilderness Association. Excerpts may be reprinted with permission.Design and layout: Real World Design. Wild Montana is printed on recycled paper.
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HELENA OFFICE
Brian Sybert, Ext. 104Executive [email protected]
John Gatchell, Ext. 106Conservation [email protected]
Cedron Jones, Ext. 101GIS Mapping [email protected]
Denny Lester, Ext. 105Creative Services and Technology Manager
Laura Parr, Ext. 110Business [email protected]
Sarah Shepard, Ext. 102Development [email protected]
Carl Dietchman, Ext. 104Finance [email protected]
Amanda Hagerty, Ext. 108Administrative [email protected]
Molly Severtson, Ext. 103Donor Relations [email protected]
Ted Brewer, Ext. 109Communications [email protected]
Kelsee Dalton, Ext. 111Executive and Development Assistant
Clayton Elliott, 307-272-6298State Policy [email protected]
FIELD OFFICES
Whitefish Field OfficeAmy RobinsonNorthwest MT Field Director750 2nd St. W, Suite AWhitefish, MT [email protected]
Great Falls Field OfficeMark Good Central MT Field Director1400 1st Ave. N.Great Falls, MT [email protected]
Choteau Field OfficeCasey PerkinsRocky Mountain Front Field DirectorP.O.Box 37Choteau, MT [email protected]
Bozeman Field OfficeJohn ToddSouthwest MT Field Director105 West Main St., Suite 2BBozeman, MT [email protected]
Salley CatheyWildlands Field [email protected]
Missoula Field Office127 N. Higgins, #301Missoula, MT 59802406-541-8615
Gabe FurshongState Program [email protected]
Zack PorterWestern MT Field [email protected]
Kassia RandzioCommunity Engagement Manager
Billings Field OfficeCameron SappEastern MT FieldRepresentative3318 3rd Ave. N Suite 204Billings MT [email protected]
CDT ProgramShannon FreixCDT Program Manager922 2nd Ave W.Kalispell, MT [email protected]
Meg KillenCDT Field Crew [email protected]
Sonny MazzuloCDT Field [email protected]
OFFICERS
Lee Boman, Seeley LakePresident Mark Hanson,MissoulaPresident Elect Wayne Gardella, HelenaTreasurer
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Yve Bardwell, ChoteauScott Friskics, Great FallsBobbie Gilmore,WhitefishBarb Harris, ClancyGerry Jennings, Great FallsLen Kopec, Augusta
Allison Linville,MissoulaAddrien Marx, Seeley LakeCharlie O’Leary, ButteRick Potts, MissoulaBernard Rose, Billings
Greg Schatz, Columbia FallsPatti Steinmuller,Gallatin GatewayAlan Weltzien, DillonJo Ann Wright, Great Falls
80 S.Warren, Helena, MT 59601 • 406-443-7350 • [email protected]
CHAPTERS
Eastern Wildlands ChapterPO Box 22045Billings, MT [email protected]
Flathead-Kootenai Chapter750 2nd St. W, Suite AWhitefish, MT [email protected]
Island Range Chapter1400 1st Ave. N.Great Falls, MT [email protected]
Madison-Gallatin Chapter105 West Main St., Suite 2BBozeman, MT [email protected]
Shining Mountains Chapter127 N. Higgins, #301Missoula, MT [email protected]
Wild Divide Chapter80 S. WarrenHelena, MT [email protected]
VICTORY ON THE ROCKYMOUNTAIN FRONTOn the cover: Advocate for the Front since 1977, Gene Sentz on the trail to Route Creek Pass, in the new Our Lake addition to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.
HERITAGE ACT PASSEDExecutive Director Brian Sybert looks back on an historical year that brought new wilderness to Montana.
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TAKING THE LONG VIEWConservation Director John Gatchellgives some historical perspective of the compromise that went intopassing the Heritage Act.
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UPDATES FROM THE FIELD ANDLEGISLATUREThe latest from MWA’s on-the-ground work followingpassage of the Heritage Act.
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NEW WILDERNESS, MORE TO GO
P R E S I D E N T ’ S P E N
M O N T A N A
Finally! With the passage of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, the 31-year Wilderness drought in Montana has ended.
You listened. You participated in discussions and public meetings. And you shared your experiences along the now-permanently protected Rocky Mountain Front. We have new wilderness to enjoy because you love Montana’s wild places.
As the new president of the Montana Wilderness Association, I want to thank you. I alsowant to thank Scott Friskics, who served for the last two years as president and helpedMWA achieve this incredible recent success. He guided MWA in a manner that created acomfortable and confident environment. Please join me in recognizing Scott for his serviceand long-term positive impact on Montana’s wild places.
Wild places don’t expand. Without long-term protection, they shrink and disappear. Some of those irreplaceable wild places are the portions of the Swan Range on thewestern edge of “the Bob” that are not officially part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.It’s similar to the old situation on the eastern side of the Bob, when the Rocky MountainFront was not part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
The shortest route from my home in Seeley Lake to the crest of the Swan Range is the hiketo Sunday Mountain. Early in the hike, avalanche chutes pull your eyes upward to crest.I’ve heard a wolf howl on this hike. Once you reach the crest, the Bob appears and extendsas far as you can see. But there’s one annoying fact: the beautiful basin at your feet, Grizzly Basin, is not part of the Bob. The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act will correct theGrizzly Basin error and add a lot more new wilderness across western Montana.
With the success of the Heritage Act to inspire us, let’s achieve more new wilderness by passing the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.
Wishing you an exciting and rewarding 2015.
Lee Boman,MWA President
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n January 2009, more than 40 people crowded into Stoney and Jeanne Burk’s living room in Choteau, Montana.
A lawyer and restaurant owner, Stoneywelcomed the crowd of ranchers, farmers,outfitters, horse packers, and other RockyMountain Front locals, as well as staffmembers from the Montana WildernessAssociation, The Wilderness Society, andMontana Wildlife Federation.
The diverse group, united as the Coalition to the Protect the Rocky Mountain Front,expected to finally come to consensus thatday on a legislative proposal to protect theFront, one they could finally unveil to the public.
Little did the group know was just how muchmore work and how many more emotionalhighs and lows remained before the RockyMountain Front Heritage Act would finallybecome law.
Some folks in the Burks’ living room—including Stoney, Choteau school teacher Gene Sentz, and Pendroy taxidermist RoyJacobs—had been working to protect theFront since the late 1970s and early 80s, whenthe federal government leased every acre ofpublic land along the Front for oil and gasdevelopment. Others later joined the effortand helped secure a legislative withdrawal offederal mineral leases in 2006. Since then, thegroup had been meeting steadily to develop alegislative proposal that would keep the Frontas it is for generations to come. The effort hadalready involved countless kitchen tablemeetings whereby boundaries and wordingfor the proposal had been tweaked, tweakedagain, and then tweaked some more.
Hours of debate commenced at the Burks’house and continued until someone made acall for consensus late in the afternoon.Everyone in the room eventually gave thethumbs up. Bottles of purple champagne,more suited for a sorority party than a
I
A long history to protect the Rocky Mountain Frontculminated on December 12, when Congress passed the Heritage Act.
Some folks had beenworking to protect the Front since the late 1970s.
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C O V E R S T O R Y
gathering of people wearing Wranglers andcowboy boots, were uncorked, and photoswere taken of a very jubilant group of people.
A few days later, their smiles would be long gone.
Following that meeting, severalCoalition members met with ranchers southof the Sun River to address questions theyhad about the Heritage Act and how it wouldimpact their grazing permits on federal lands.It quickly became apparent that previousadjustments made to the proposal hadn’tresolved their concerns about how the billwould affect their livelihoods. The Coalitionknew the Heritage Act couldn't move forwardwithout offering clarity around grazing permits.
Months went by as Coalition memberstraveled up and down the Front to meet withcattle ranchers, outfitters, and the U.S. ForestService to adjust boundaries and consider
new legislative language. A second attempt toreach a final consensus was scheduled forApril in Choteau, but canceled the day priorwhen more than three feet of snow fell onChoteau, shuttering nearly every business on Main Street and closing highways in and out of town.
Some wondered if the Heritage Act wasdoomed. Others appreciated the extra time to consider the changes to the bill.
A third attempt to reach consensus wasscheduled (in pencil) for May. This time, noone dared bring champagne. Some rancherswho had expressed concerns about theHeritage Act joined the discussion. The groupreviewed modifications made to the proposalover the previous few months. By the end ofthe meeting, folks were shaking hands acrossa long conference table piled high with maps.
continued...
Dee Linnell Blank
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The bill would add 67,112 acres to the BobMarshall Wilderness Complex. It would alsoprotect 208,160 acres through a unique,made-in-Montana designation called aConservation Management Area, allowingthe current motorized use to continue butnot expand, and prohibiting any new roadsor other development.
All in all, it would permanently protect oneof Montana’s most cherished landscapes andsome of North America’s most productivewildlife habitat.
The Coalition went public with the proposalin October 2009, holding eight publicmeetings in Choteau, Augusta, Great Falls,and Helena over the next year. The successof these meeting convinced Sen. MaxBaucus to introduce the Heritage Act in thefall of 2011. Republicans Sen. Daines andformer Rep. Denny Rehberg each held ameeting as well, in 2012 and 2013respectively.
When Sen. Baucus left the Senate in 2014 tobecome Ambassador to China, many in theCoalition believed that the Heritage Act stillhad a long road ahead. The election later inthe year only increased the uncertainty ofthe bill’s future.
On December 10, during Congress’ 2014lame-duck session, Coalition members metfor the umpteenth time in Choteau to takestock of the new political challenges the
Heritage Act faced. They were in for asurprise. At the beginning of the meeting,they learned that Montana’s entireCongressional delegation were about to hold a press conference in Washington, D.C.to announce they had come together insupport of the Heritage Act and that it wasincluded in a public lands package Congresshad attached to the National DefenseAuthorization Act. The Heritage Act wassuddenly on the cusp of becoming law.
Right after the press conference, Sen. Jon Tester called the meeting in Choteau to congratulate the Coalition. There was not a group of people in Montana more elated.
Congress passed the lands packageon December 12, and the President signedthe bill into law a week later, giving Montanaits first new wilderness in 31 years.
A few days following passage of the bill,Coalition member Dusty Crary hosted apress conference in the middle of a cowpasture on his ranch west of Choteau. He stood next to Sen. Tester and former Sen. John Walsh with the Rocky MountainFront in the background.
“It’s almost surreal how these things happenafter years of effort and work,” he said, hishands jammed deep into the pockets of hisdown jacket. “There were times that I didn’tthink this event would ever happen.”
Left to right: Danelle Crary, Gene Sentz, Bonnie Crary, Connor Crary, Sen. Jon Tester and Dusty Crary on the Crary ranch west of Choteau following passage of the lands bill.
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What a year 2014 turned out to be.
Not only did the Montana Wilderness Association host the biggest wildernesscelebration in the country on the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, weclosed the year out with an equally great reason to celebrate—President BarackObama signing a piece of legislation that permanently protects the RockyMountain Front and designates the first new wilderness Montana has seen in 31 years.
To our members, we say thank you—for your passion, your commitment, andyour unwavering advocacy. You made this historic conservation victory happen.
Years of community outreach and grassroots advocacy led by MWA membersand staff resulted in broad, bipartisan support for the protection of the iconicRocky Mountain Front—an amazingly unique landscape where the Great Plainscrash into the Rocky Mountains and where elk, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep,wolverines, and a host of other species thrive in one of the most productivewildlife areas in North America.
Befitting the extraordinary nature of the Rocky Mountain Front, all threemembers of Montana’s Congressional delegation came together to pass theHeritage Act, as well as the North Fork Watershed Protection Act. MWA thanksour Congressional delegation, Sen. Jon Tester in particular, for working to pass these two bills that together protect more than 650,000 acres across theCrown of the Continent.
Passage of the Heritage Act shows us that we can put our differences aside and come together as a community that cherishes the wild places that makeMontana so special, a community that will stand up for those wild places andthe outdoor way of life they provide.
Whether you sent a letter to our delegation, attended a public hearing, wrote a letter to your local paper, got your friends and family involved, or made a donation, know that your action led to the protection of the Rocky Mountain Front.
Passage of the Heritage Act and the North Fork Watershed Protection Act clears the legislative deck for the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act and other wilderness proposals. With the Heritage Act victory to inspire us, MWA will continue working with hunters, anglers, outfitters, business owners, students, and recreationist of all stripes to demonstrate that Montanans want protection of the special wild country that makes our outdoor way of life possible and defines who were are.
Please remember that you made this historic conservation victory happen. Take a moment to celebrate as we work towards the next round of protection for our wild places.
HERITAGE ACT PASSED, FRONT PROTECTED!by Brian Sybert
F R O M T H E E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
You made thishistoric conservationvictory happen.
Jeff
Van
Tin
e
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The number of acres now in aConservation Management Area and off-limits to commercial andindustrial development
The number of new acres now part of the Scapegoat and BobMarshall Wilderness Areas
The number of years since the last time wilderness was designated in Montana
The approximate number of miles along the Front now under permanent protection
The number of acres of public and private land where weederadication and control are now a priority
208,160
67,112
31
100
782,000
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONTHERITAGE ACT BY THE NUMBERS
Jeff
Van
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U.S
. For
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n December, our Congressional delegation united to protect some of Montana’s
most cherished public lands. It was a longtime coming.
The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act wasincluded in an omnibus package of 70 publicland bills that was attached to the NationalDefense Authorization Act, a package that alsoincluded the North Fork Watershed ProtectionAct. Together, these two bills permanentlyprotect more than 650,000 acres of public landin the Crown of the Continent, one of the mostmagnificent ecosystems on Earth.
The last time Congress passed a public landsomnibus bill was in 2009. That bill protectedtrails, established national parks, anddesignated two million acres of wilderness indozens of states, but it didn’t include a lick ofpublic land in Montana.
This time was different.
This time Montana’s congressional delegationnegotiated their differences and agreed on acompromise, just as they did to pass theWilderness Act of 1964 and the Lee Metcalf
by John Gatchell I
TAKING THE LONG VIEWON WILDERNESS
A look back on the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the LeeMetcalf Wilderness Act of 1983 reminds us that compromise has always been a part of the equationthat delivers newwilderness.
Above: An alpine lake in the Lee MetcalfWilderness Area.
John
Tod
d
Wilderness Act of 1983, the last timewilderness in Montana was designated. A look back on these two pieces oflegislation reminds us that compromise hasalways been a part of the equation thatdelivers new wilderness.
In 1964, those we revere now aswilderness champions, including our ownsenators Lee Metcalf and Mike Mansfield,allowed new mineral claims to be staked indesignated wilderness areas until the end of1984. Sens. Metcalf and Mansfield acceptedthis compromise because it was necessaryto pass the Wilderness Act.
In 1983, passage of the Lee MetcalfWilderness Act, designating 254,653 acresof wilderness, included the removal ofinterim study protections from threewilderness candidate areas. These areasincluded the Mount Henry WildernessStudy Area (21,000 acres) in the KootenaiNational Forest, Cowboy’s Heaven(approximately 26,000 acres) in the GallatinNational Forest, and the Tongue RiverBreaks Recommended Wilderness(approximately 2,000 acres) in the CusterNational Forest.
In that compromise, significantly more landswere protected (254,653 acres) under theLee Metcalf Wildlife Act than were put atrisk (49,000 acres). Still, the deal was hardfor some to swallow.
The Montanan Wilderness Associationsupported the deal, knowing we wouldcontinue defending those areas that had losttheir protection as a result of the bill’spassage. We’ve so far been successful inprotecting two of them.
In 2009, we helped persuade theBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest torecommend Cowboy’s Heaven forwilderness. This area links the Spanish Peaksand Beartrap Canyon areas of the LeeMetcalf Wilderness. A portion of this areathat lies on the Beaverhead-DeerlodgeNational Forest is proposed for wildernessdesignation in Senator Tester’s Forest Jobsand Recreation Act.
The Tongue River Breaks has not yet beendeveloped. Thanks to our efforts, the U.S.Forest Service will consider this area forwilderness in its next forest planning process.
Unfortunately, Mount Henry has not fairedas well. Since 1983, the area has beenroaded and logged, its wilderness qualitiesdegraded.
Still, few conservationists would today arguethat the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Act was notworth the compromises that were made topass the bill. I predict the same will be trueof the Heritage Act 31 years from now.
The Heritage Act places 208,000 acres of USFS and BLM land along the Front in a Conservation Management Area thatprohibits new permanent road building ordevelopment and disallows any expansionof motorized use. The bill protects another67,000 acres as Wilderness.
The compromise Sen. Jon Tester made with Sen. Daines to permanently protect275,00 acres along the Rocky MountainFront included the release of two BLMWilderness Study Areas in easternMontana—Zook Creek and Buffalo Creek.Those two areas total about 14,000 acres.
The idea of placing public wild lands atfurther risk of development isn’t any easierfor some to swallow now than it was in1983. But this compromise represents aneven better deal for Montanans that the LeeMetcalf Wilderness Act did 31 years ago.
Just as we didn’t give up on the lands thatserved as a compromise in the Lee MetcalfWilderness Act, we won’t give up on ZookCreek and Buffalo Creek. We will continueworking for the protection of these areasand other prairie wildlands throughouteastern Montana.
The successful passage of the Heritage Actbreaks a 31-year span of congressionalinaction on Montana wilderness, a welcomeand necessary first step. Forever protectingthe Front clears the decks for considerationof other magnificent Montana wild landsthat have stacked up following decades ofcongressional deadlock. From theSnowcrest Mountains to the wild SwanRange to the Big Snowies, we have a lotmore work to do to conserve Montana’spriceless outdoor legacy.
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Just as we didn’t give up on the lands that served as a compromise in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Act, we won’t give up on ZookCreek and Buffalo Creek.
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LEAVING NO LANDS BEHIND IN EASTERN MONTANA
There were a few things to lament about how Congress passed the Heritage Act and Montanacame to see its first new wilderness in 31 years. In December, Sen. Steve Daines requested an amendment to the bill that released twoBureau of Land Management (BLM) areas in southeastern Montana—Buffalo Creek and Zook Creek—from their Wilderness Study Area (WSA) status. The amendment also directed the BLM to assess the oil and gas potential of two additional WSAs near the Charles M.Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Bridge Coulee and Musselshell Breaks. So, are these four areas poised for development? Thankfully, no. Bridge Coulee (5,900 acres) and the Musselshell Breaks (8,650 acres) have not lost their
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CELEBRATING OUR SUCCESS ON THE FRONT WITH AN EYE TO THE FUTURE
A few weeks ago, three men representing several decades of activism and dedication piledinto my old Subaru and we all drove from Choteau to Great Falls for MWA’s Island RangeChapter holiday party. This was a pretty special carpool for a party that couldn’t have been timed better.In my car were Gene Sentz, Roy Jacobs, and Bill Cunningham, all local members of theCoalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front. Not an hour before, the U.S. Senate had passed the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act—a crowning achievement for the men in my car that made the years of meetings, letters, phone calls, and trips to D.C. all well worth their heroic effort. It also made the reflection in my rear view window—the snowcapped mountains jutting up from the prairie, all bathed in the pink-orange glow of the sunset—that much sweeter. As we headed out of town, the guys buzzed with excitement, talking of trails they hadridden and peaks they had climbed, old outfitters they had known. They talked about how richthey had felt as young men in the backcountry, even if they were only making a few dollars aday. They spoke of the long journey to permanently protect the Front, from fighting the oil andgas leases to the years of hard work on a travel plan to finally pushing the Heritage Act acrossthe finish line.
UPDATES FROM THE F IELD
Buffalo Creek ismore vulnerableto developmentbecause it has lost its WSA status.
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WSA status. Even if an updated assessment reveals rich oil and gas deposits, only another act of Congress couldremove their WSA status. Buffalo Creek (5,650 acres) and Zook Creek (8,438 acres)are more vulnerable to development because they have lost their WSA status. But this change doesn’t necessarilymean they’ll be developed. In many cases, the BLM continues to manage areas to maintain their wildernesscharacter even after their WSA status changes. Both Buffalo Creek and Zook Creek are located within the jurisdiction of the BLM’s Miles City Field Office, which is currently revising its Resource Management Plan. This plan outlines how the BLM will manage lands in southeast Montana for the next 15 to 30years. The revision of this document gives us the perfect opportunity to influence how the BLMwill manage these two areas following their release from WSA status. Buffalo Creek and Zook Creek are both beautiful areas replete with colorful breaks,sandstone formations, and native prairie. They deserve permanent protection. MWA willdiligently work towards that protection as we’ve worked the last several years to protect prairiewildlands throughout eastern Montana, including along the scenic Hi-Line. Like southeastern Montana, the Hi-Line boasts many large, unprotected backcountry areaswith wilderness characteristics. The BLM recently identified about 386,000 acres of public landalong the Hi-Line that met their criteria as “lands with wilderness characteristics” (LWCs). That number will likely increase because of new information that MWA provided afterconducting extensive fieldwork in the summer of 2013. Currently, MWA is the largest conservation organization in Montana dedicated to easternMontana’s public lands. We’ll continue dedicating time, energy, and resources to our prairiewildlands. By the same token, we’ll be asking you to provide comments to the BLM urgingprotection of Buffalo Creek, Zook Creek, and other special wild places in eastern Montana thatwe’re working to protect.
–Cameron Sapp, Eastern Montana Field Representative–Mark Good, Central Montana Field Director
We talked about how sweet it will be to hang up a couple of new Bob Marshall Wildernesssigns along the new, enlarged boundary. We talked about the importance of working with theForest Service on the noxious weed plan the bill requires. We also talked about how much work there is still left to be done, and our shared hope thatthe passage of the Heritage Act will create momentum for the protection of other wild placesin Montana. In Great Falls, the party was jubilant and filled with the hope and gratitude truly befittingthe season, hope that we can build on this victory by doing what we do best: finding commonground, embracing local solutions, and never relenting in our effort to keep Montana wild. Rest assured these local stalwarts who rode in my car and MWA’s Choteau field office arealready hard at work on the next chapter: making sure the Heritage Act lives up to its promiseof keeping the Front the way it is. That means working with the local community, the ForestService, and the BLM to ensure that the various requirements of the bill are implemented. There’s still one remaining piece in the Rocky Mountain Front puzzle that still needsprotection—that’s the Badger-Two Medicine area. We are working diligently with our Blackfeet tribal partners and making great strides in our effort to remove the threat of oil and gas from the Badger-Two Medicine. Inspired by thepassage of the Heritage Act, we have great hope that we can lay the foundation for apermanent-protection solution that this piece of the Front demands.
–Casey Perkins, Rocky Mountain Front Field Director
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Speak up for Zook Creek and BuffaloCreek! Ask the BLM to close these areas to OHV use and coal leasing and to manage them instead for semi-primitive, non-motorized use.
Email Mary Bloom, RMP ProjectManager, at [email protected] or write to the Miles City Field Office at 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT 59301.
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UPDATE FROM THE LEGISLATURE
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DEFENDING PUBLIC LANDS AT THE STATE CAPITOL
Passage of the Heritage Act has given us good reason to celebrate. It was an incrediblesuccess that reminds us that our values predominate in Montana and that the system forprotecting public lands still works. Bipartisan efforts that have so commonly defined howMontanans solve problems have once again made our state and country a better place. But the ink was barely dry on the Heritage Act when a radical minority of statelegislators came to Helena with their sights set on taking way our success—by taking the
public out of public lands. Montana’s 64th Legislatureconvened this month, and we are ready to counter thisminority and kill their bills and schemes geared towardstransferring ownership of federal lands to the state. Their transfer agenda is, as we know, a thinly veiled
attempt to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder. Propped by extremist think tanks and backed by out-of-
state charlatans, Sen. Jennifer Fielder (R-ThompsonFalls), Rep. Kerry White (R-Bozeman), and others havebeen building a legislative plan, hosting public forums,and travelling across the West to push their transferagenda, an agenda that strikes not just at our outdoorheritage, but at our way of life. If they succeed, the gateswould lock on some of Montana’s most treasuredhunting grounds, fishing holes, camping grounds, andhiking lands. It is a reckless and irresponsible plan, onethat Montanans can’t afford and voters flatly reject. MWA has already started fighting against this plan
and for our public lands in the halls and chambers of the Capitol, reminding our elected leaders that publiclands are crucial to who we are are as Montanans.We have ramped up efforts to influence decisions in
our state legislature, and we are excited to be playing aleading role in shaping public lands policy for the futureof our state. Partnering with community, business, andfaith leaders, as well as with teachers, organized labor,
and sportsmen, we are working to build a strong and diverse coalition that leads us on apath toward more effective public lands management. And we will be keeping you up-to-date on what’s happening at the Capitol at
wildmontana.org and by email and asking you to take action at key moments during thelegislature. One crucial action we will ask you of now is to join hundreds of other Montanans in
the Capitol rotunda at noon on February 16, Presidents’ Day, for a rally to support our public lands and outdoor heritage.
–Clayton Elliott, State Policy Director
WE NEED YOUR HELPJoin hundreds of other Montanans in the Capitol rotunda at noon onFebruary 16, Presidents’ Day, for a rally to support our public lands andoutdoor heritage.
By selecting the “Wilderness” plate next time you visit your licensing bureau, you’re not only displaying your pride in our special wild places, but you’re helping to protectMontana’s wilderness and traditional recreational opportunities for everyone.
For more information, Call 406-443-7350 or drop by your county licensing bureau. Go wild with the “Wilderness” plate from the Montana Wilderness Association today.
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BUTTE BIG HOLE AREAGiao Hoang Lonnie & Daryl W. Murphy NorthWestern Energy Glen Southergill
EASTERN WILDLANDS CHAPTERSondra Arnold Scott Hedegaard Tim Nordstrom Mur Quaglia Dave Sapp
FLATHEAD-KOOTENAI CHAPTERPatty Archibald Carol Bibler Terri Hunt Mark Lannen Linda Newgard Kathleen O’Hair Katherine Potter Debra Reeves Deborah Sapp Mary Ann Schuman
ISLAND RANGECHAPTERCarol Berg Barbara Bessette Karen Enseleit Julie Gibney Josh Granger & Erin MadisonJill Harvie Kam Kidrick Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Sarah Mizener Ladawna Nelson Mark Ozog Joseph Petrella Nielo Robinson Dawn Baker Genevieve Barhaugh
MADISON-GALLATIN CHAPTERChristina Crane Garry Edson Eliza Gillilan Suzy Hall Hoberecht & Kim HoberechtDan Hasenpflug & Cathy HasenpflugMichael Herring Art Jacobsen
Rick Lewis Catherine Logan Jen Mikkelson Brandon O’Brien Allison Pardis Lisa Trankley Kristin Williamson Peggy Wood
SHINING MOUNTAINS CHAPTEREdward Callaghan Checota Foundation Nancy De Pastino George Frasca Nancy Gibson Morgan Hyde Caleb Kasper Sam & Marilyn Lemaich Nick Lockridge Bill Moore Susan Peterson Norm Sindelar Renee Snyder The Sports Exchange LLC Jamie Tipton Brandon Veth Patricia Vogel Mark Wetherington, Jr Karen J. Wilson
WILD DIVIDE CHAPTERLesley Bergman Rebecca Cooper Joe Donohoe Steve Harper Adel Johnson Ben Lamb Paul Lehman Roy Marino Ada Montague David Niss Kristie Noonan Cara Orban Lorraine Samuel
OUT OF STATEJim and Jan Bobst Erin Burke Lois Cameron Travis Chapin Jodi Clark & Mae MoralesMonte Cole Tom & Cindy Downing Dan Fenn Christine Gillmore Robert Harder John & Lisa Harley
Debi Herman Geoff & Norma Kontje Mark Krause Thomas Linville Emily Madison Doug Messineo Gary Miller Mark Nowicki Patricia & Hans Peterson Louise Pfister Joy & Bob Rogers Bob & Valerie Russo Christina Sandt Lisa Seeley Will Snyder Ann Sutton Judith Talley Aaron Theisen Karl Toubman & Kathie PomeroyMichael Wilpers Richard Wise
MEMBERS MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLEThanks to the new members who joined the Montana Wilderness Association from October 1 to December 31, 2014.
“I love the rare beauty, inspiration, and peace I find in the pristine wild places of Montana. From my home in Billings, I can head out to the Pryors—an island of mountains rising from the prairies, cut with rugged canyons and bordered by red desert landscapes. Here I am able to immerse myself
in a land sacred to the Crow Indians and home to some of the most diverse botany,wildlife, and geology in Montana. By supporting MWA, I am able to help protect andpreserve these unique wild lands for generations to come.“ –Rita Harding, Billings, MT
WHY I
GIVE
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #151
Great Falls, MT
Mon
tana Wild
erness Assoc
iation
80 S. Warren, Helena, MT 59601
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT CAR?
Don’t sell, donate.
Donate your car, truck, boat, or RV to the Montana Wilderness Association, receive a tax deduction, and help to protect Montana’s wilderness andtraditional recreational opportunities.
Anyone in the country can donate to MWA, not just those in Montana. If you have a vehicle in another city or state,give us a call and we’ll coordinate picking it up...hassle free guaranteed.
Call our toll-free number, 1-855-406-GIVE(4483), and speak with a representative from MWA’s Vehicle Donation Program. We’ll schedule a pickup time that’s convenient for you and provide you withconfirmation of your donation.
Call 1-855-406-GIVE (4483) today.