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HISTORY MADE ON THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT Montana Wilderness Association works with communities to protect Montana’s wilderness heritage, quiet beauty, and outdoor traditions, now and for future generations.

OFFICERS COUNCIL MEMBERS

Lee Boman, Seeley Lake Yve Bardwell, Choteau Allison Linville, Missoula Greg Schatz, Columbia Falls President Scott Friskics, Great Falls Addrien Marx, Seeley Lake Patti Steinmuller, Mark Hanson, Missoula Bobbie Gilmore, Whitefish Charlie O’Leary, Butte Gallatin Gateway President Elect Barb Harris, Clancy Rick Potts, Missoula Alan Weltzien, Dillon Wayne Gardella, Helena Gerry Jennings, Great Falls Bernard Rose, Billings Jo Ann Wright, Great Falls Treasurer Len Kopec, Augusta

HELENA OFFICE 80 S. Warren, Helena, MT 59601 • 406-443-7350 • [email protected]

Brian Sybert, Ext. 104 Denny Lester, Ext. 105 Carl Dietchman, Ext. 104 Ted Brewer, Ext. 109 Executive Director Creative Services and Finance Director Communications Manager [email protected] Technology Manager [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] John Gatchell, Ext. 106 Amanda Hagerty, Ext. 108 Kelsee Dalton , Ext. 111 Conservation Director Laura Parr, Ext. 110 Administrative Assistant Executive and [email protected] Business Manager [email protected] Development Assistant [email protected] [email protected] Cedron Jones, Ext. 101 Molly Severtson, Ext. 103 GIS Mapping Specialist Sarah Shepard, Ext. 102 Donor Relations Manager Clayton Elliott, 307-272-6298 [email protected] Development Director [email protected] State Policy Director [email protected] [email protected]

FIELD OFFICES CHAPTERS

Whitefish Field Office Bozeman Field Office Billings Field Office Eastern Wildlands Chapter Amy Robinson John Todd Cameron Sapp PO Box 22045 Northwest MT Field Director Southwest MT Field Director Eastern MT Field Billings, MT 59104 750 2nd St. W, Suite A 105 West Main St., Suite 2B Representative [email protected] Whitefish, MT 59937 Bozeman, MT 59715 3318 3rd Ave. N Suite 204 406-730-2006 406-404-1000 Billings MT 59101 Flathead-Kootenai Chapter [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 750 2nd St. W, Suite A Whitefish, MT 59937 Great Falls Field Office Salley Cathey CDT Program [email protected] Mark Good Wildlands Field Coordinator Shannon Freix [email protected] CDT Program Manager Island Range Chapter Central MT Field Director 1400 1st Ave. N. 1400 1st Ave. N. 922 2nd Ave W. Missoula Field Office Kalispell, MT 59901 Great Falls, MT 59401 Great Falls, MT 59401 127 N. Higgins, #301 [email protected] 406-453-9434 406-781-0627 Missoula, MT 59802 [email protected] [email protected] 406-541-8615 Madison-Gallatin Chapter Meg Killen 105 West Main St., Suite 2B Choteau Field Office Gabe Furshong CDT Field Crew Leader Bozeman, MT 59715 Casey Perkins State Program Director 406-250-3439 [email protected] Rocky Mountain Front [email protected] [email protected] Field Director Shining Mountains Chapter P.O. Box 37 Zack Porter Sonny Mazzulo 127 N. Higgins, #301 Choteau, MT 59422 Western MT Field Director CDT Field Coordinator Missoula, MT 59802 406-466-2600 [email protected] 301-651-5818 [email protected] [email protected] Kassia Randzio [email protected] Wild Divide Chapter Community Engagement 80 S. Warren Manager Helena, MT 59601 [email protected] [email protected]

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.

www.wildmontana.org www.facebook.com/wildmontana

2 WILD MONTANA PRESIDENT’S PEN

NEW WILDERNESS, MORE TO GO

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. Lee Boman, And you shared your experiences along the now-permanently protected MWA President 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 also want to thank Scott Friskics, who served for the last two years as president and helped MWA achieve this incredible recent success. He guided MWA in a manner that created a comfortable and confident environment. Please join me in recognizing Scott for his service and 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 the western 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 Mountain Front 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 hike to 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 extends as 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 the Grizzly 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.

VICTORY ON THE ROCKY 4 MOUNTAIN FRONT On the cover: Advocate for the MONTANA Front since 1977, Gene Sentz on the trail to Route Creek Pass, in WINTER 2 015 the new Our Lake addition to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.

HERITAGE ACT TAKING THE UPDATES FROM PASSED LONG VIEW THE FIELD AND Executive Director Brian Sybert Conservation Director John Gatchell LEGISLATURE looks back on an historical year gives some historical perspective The latest from MWA’s that brought new wilderness of the compromise that went into on-the-ground work following to Montana. passing the Heritage Act. passage of the Heritage Act. 7 10 12 A long history to protect the Rocky Mountain Front culminated on December 12, when Congress passed the Heritage Act.

Some folks had been working to protect the Front since the late 1970s.

n January 2009, more than 40 people Some folks in the Burks’ living room— crowded into Stoney and Jeanne Burk’s including Stoney, Choteau school teacher II living room in Choteau, Montana. Gene Sentz, and Pendroy taxidermist Roy A lawyer and restaurant owner, Stoney Jacobs—had been working to protect the welcomed the crowd of ranchers, farmers, Front since the late 1970s and early 80s, when outfitters, horse packers, and other Rocky the federal government leased every acre of Mountain Front locals, as well as staff public land along the Front for oil and gas members from the Montana Wilderness development. Others later joined the effort Association, The Wilderness Society, and and helped secure a legislative withdrawal of Montana Wildlife Federation. federal mineral leases in 2006. Since then, the group had been meeting steadily to develop a The diverse group, united as the Coalition legislative proposal that would keep the Front to the Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, as it is for generations to come. The effort had expected to finally come to consensus that already involved countless kitchen table day on a legislative proposal to protect the meetings whereby boundaries and wording Front, one they could finally unveil to for the proposal had been tweaked, tweaked the public. again, and then tweaked some more.

Little did the group know was just how much Hours of debate commenced at the Burks’ more work and how many more emotional house and continued until someone made a highs and lows remained before the Rocky call for consensus late in the afternoon. Mountain Front Heritage Act would finally Everyone in the room eventually gave the become law. thumbs up. Bottles of purple champagne, more suited for a sorority party than a

4 WILD MONTANA COVER STORY

Dee Linnell Blank gathering of people wearing Wranglers and new legislative language. A second attempt to cowboy boots, were uncorked, and photos reach a final consensus was scheduled for were taken of a very jubilant group of people. April in Choteau, but canceled the day prior when more than three feet of snow fell on A few days later, their smiles would be Choteau, shuttering nearly every business on long gone. Main Street and closing highways in and out of town.

Following that meeting, several Some wondered if the Heritage Act was Coalition members met with ranchers south doomed. Others appreciated the extra time of the Sun River to address questions they to consider the changes to the bill. had about the Heritage Act and how it would impact their grazing permits on federal lands. It quickly became apparent that previous A third attempt to reach consensus was adjustments made to the proposal hadn’t scheduled (in pencil) for May. This time, no resolved their concerns about how the bill one dared bring champagne. Some ranchers would affect their livelihoods. The Coalition who had expressed concerns about the knew the Heritage Act couldn't move forward Heritage Act joined the discussion. The group without offering clarity around grazing permits. reviewed modifications made to the proposal over the previous few months. By the end of Months went by as Coalition members the meeting, folks were shaking hands across traveled up and down the Front to meet with a long conference table piled high with maps. cattle ranchers, outfitters, and the U.S. Forest Service to adjust boundaries and consider continued...

WINTER 2015 5 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.

The bill would add 67,112 acres to the Bob Heritage Act faced. They were in for a Marshall Wilderness Complex. It would also surprise. At the beginning of the meeting, protect 208,160 acres through a unique, they learned that Montana’s entire made-in-Montana designation called a Congressional delegation were about to Conservation Management Area, allowing hold a press conference in Washington, D.C. the current motorized use to continue but to announce they had come together in not expand, and prohibiting any new roads support of the Heritage Act and that it was or other development. included in a public lands package Congress had attached to the National Defense All in all, it would permanently protect one Authorization Act. The Heritage Act was of Montana’s most cherished landscapes and suddenly on the cusp of becoming law. some of North America’s most productive wildlife habitat. Right after the press conference, Sen. Jon Tester called the meeting in Choteau The Coalition went public with the proposal to congratulate the Coalition. There in October 2009, holding eight public was not a group of people in Montana meetings in Choteau, Augusta, Great Falls, more elated. and Helena over the next year. The success of these meeting convinced Sen. Max Baucus to introduce the Heritage Act in the Congress passed the lands package fall of 2011. Republicans Sen. Daines and on December 12, and the President signed former Rep. Denny Rehberg each held a the bill into law a week later, giving Montana meeting as well, in 2012 and 2013 its first new wilderness in 31 years. respectively. A few days following passage of the bill, When Sen. Baucus left the Senate in 2014 to Coalition member Dusty Crary hosted a become Ambassador to China, many in the press conference in the middle of a cow Coalition believed that the Heritage Act still pasture on his ranch west of Choteau. had a long road ahead. The election later in He stood next to Sen. Tester and former the year only increased the uncertainty of Sen. John Walsh with the Rocky Mountain the bill’s future. Front in the background.

“It’s almost surreal how these things happen On December 10, during Congress’ 2014 after years of effort and work,” he said, his lame-duck session, Coalition members met hands jammed deep into the pockets of his for the umpteenth time in Choteau to take down jacket. “There were times that I didn’t stock of the new political challenges the think this event would ever happen.”

6 WILD MONTANA FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HERITAGE ACT PASSED, FRONT PROTECTED! by Brian Sybert

What a year 2014 turned out to be.

Not only did the Montana Wilderness Association host the biggest wilderness celebration in the country on the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, we closed the year out with an equally great reason to celebrate—President Barack Obama signing a piece of legislation that permanently protects the Rocky Mountain 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, and your unwavering advocacy. You made this historic conservation victory happen.

Years of community outreach and grassroots advocacy led by MWA members and staff resulted in broad, bipartisan support for the protection of the iconic Rocky Mountain Front—an amazingly unique landscape where the Great Plains crash into the Rocky Mountains and where elk, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, wolverines, and a host of other species thrive in one of the most productive wildlife areas in North America.

Befitting the extraordinary nature of the Rocky Mountain Front, all three members of Montana’s Congressional delegation came together to pass the Heritage Act, as well as the North Fork Watershed Protection Act. MWA thanks our Congressional delegation, Sen. Jon Tester in particular, for working to pass these two bills that together protect more than 650,000 acres across the Crown 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 make Montana so special, a community that will stand up for those wild places and the 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. You made this Passage of the Heritage Act and the North Fork Watershed historic conservation Protection Act clears the legislative deck for the Forest Jobs victory happen. 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. e n i T n a V f f e J

WINTER 2015 7 e n i T

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THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT HERITAGE ACT BY THE NUMBERS

208 ,160 The number of acres now in a Conservation Management Area and off-limits to commercial and industrial development 67,1 12 The number of new acres now part of the Scapegoat and Bob Marshall Wilderness Areas 31 The number of years since the last time wilderness was designated in Montana 100 The approximate number of miles along the Front now under permanent protection 782,000 The number of acres of public and private land where weed eradication and control are now a priority

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TAKING THE LONG VIEW ON WILDERNESS

by John Gatchell n December, our Congressional delegation I united to protect some of Montana’s most cherished public lands. It was a long time coming.

A look back on The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act was included in an omnibus package of 70 public the Wilderness Act land bills that was attached to the National of 1964 and the Lee Defense Authorization Act, a package that also included the North Fork Watershed Protection Metcalf Wilderness Act. Together, these two bills permanently protect more than 650,000 acres of public land Act of 1983 reminds in the Crown of the Continent, one of the most us that compromise magnificent ecosystems on Earth.

has always been a The last time Congress passed a public lands part of the equation omnibus bill was in 2009. That bill protected trails, established national parks, and that delivers new designated two million acres of wilderness in dozens of states, but it didn’t include a lick of wilderness. public land in Montana.

This time was different.

This time Montana’s congressional delegation Above: An alpine lake negotiated their differences and agreed on a in the Lee Metcalf compromise, just as they did to pass the Wilderness Area. Wilderness Act of 1964 and the Lee Metcalf

10 WILD MONTANA 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 Zook Wilderness Act of 1983, the last time wilderness in Montana was designated. Creek and Buffalo Creek. A look back on these two pieces of legislation reminds us that compromise has always been a part of the equation that Unfortunately, Mount Henry has not faired delivers new wilderness. as well. Since 1983, the area has been roaded and logged, its wilderness qualities In 1964, those we revere now as degraded. wilderness champions, including our own senators Lee Metcalf and Mike Mansfield, Still, few conservationists would today argue allowed new mineral claims to be staked in that the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Act was not designated wilderness areas until the end of worth the compromises that were made to 1984. Sens. Metcalf and Mansfield accepted pass the bill. I predict the same will be true this compromise because it was necessary of the Heritage Act 31 years from now. to pass the Wilderness Act. The Heritage Act places 208,000 acres In 1983, passage of the Lee Metcalf of USFS and BLM land along the Front Wilderness Act, designating 254,653 acres in a Conservation Management Area that of wilderness, included the removal of prohibits new permanent road building or interim study protections from three development and disallows any expansion wilderness candidate areas. These areas of motorized use. The bill protects another included the Mount Henry Wilderness 67,000 acres as Wilderness. Study Area (21,000 acres) in the Kootenai National Forest, Cowboy’s Heaven The compromise Sen. Jon Tester made (approximately 26,000 acres) in the Gallatin with Sen. Daines to permanently protect National Forest, and the Tongue River 275,00 acres along the Rocky Mountain Breaks Recommended Wilderness Front included the release of two BLM (approximately 2,000 acres) in the Custer Wilderness Study Areas in eastern National Forest. Montana—Zook Creek and Buffalo Creek. Those two areas total about 14,000 acres. In that compromise, significantly more lands were protected (254,653 acres) under the The idea of placing public wild lands at Lee Metcalf Wildlife Act than were put at further risk of development isn’t any easier risk (49,000 acres). Still, the deal was hard for some to swallow now than it was in for some to swallow. 1983. But this compromise represents an even better deal for Montanans that the Lee The Montanan Wilderness Association Metcalf Wilderness Act did 31 years ago. supported the deal, knowing we would continue defending those areas that had lost Just as we didn’t give up on the lands that their protection as a result of the bill’s served as a compromise in the Lee Metcalf passage. We’ve so far been successful in Wilderness Act, we won’t give up on Zook protecting two of them. Creek and Buffalo Creek. We will continue working for the protection of these areas In 2009, we helped persuade the and other prairie wildlands throughout Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to eastern Montana. recommend Cowboy’s Heaven for wilderness. This area links the Spanish Peaks The successful passage of the Heritage Act and Beartrap Canyon areas of the Lee breaks a 31-year span of congressional Metcalf Wilderness. A portion of this area inaction on Montana wilderness, a welcome that lies on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge and necessary first step. Forever protecting National Forest is proposed for wilderness the Front clears the decks for consideration designation in Senator Tester’s Forest Jobs of other magnificent Montana wild lands and Recreation Act. that have stacked up following decades of congressional deadlock. From the The Tongue River Breaks has not yet been Snowcrest Mountains to the wild Swan developed. Thanks to our efforts, the U.S. Range to the Big Snowies, we have a lot Forest Service will consider this area for more work to do to conserve Montana’s wilderness in its next forest planning process. priceless outdoor legacy.

WINTER 2015 11 UPDATES FROM THE FIELD

B

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L LEAVING NO LANDS BEHIND IN EASTERN MONTANA

Buffalo Creek is There were a few things to lament about how Congress passed the Heritage Act and Montana more vulnerable came to see its first new wilderness in 31 years. to development In December, Sen. Steve Daines requested an amendment to the bill that released two C because it Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas in southeastern Montana—Buffalo Creek and has lost its Zook Creek—from their Wilderness Study Area (WSA) status. The amendment also directed WSA status. 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

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 piled into my old Subaru and we all drove from Choteau to Great Falls for MWA’s Island Range Chapter 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 the Coalition 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 had ridden and peaks they had climbed, old outfitters they had known. They talked about how rich they had felt as young men in the backcountry, even if they were only making a few dollars a day. They spoke of the long journey to permanently protect the Front, from fighting the oil and gas leases to the years of hard work on a travel plan to finally pushing the Heritage Act across the finish line.

12 WILD MONTANA ! WE NEED YOUR HELP

Speak up for Zook Creek and Buffalo Creek! Ask the BLM to close these WSA status. Even if an updated assessment reveals rich areas to OHV use and coal leasing oil and gas deposits, only another act of Congress could and to manage them instead for remove their WSA status. semi-primitive, non-motorized use. Buffalo Creek (5,650 acres) and Zook Creek (8,438 acres) are more vulnerable to development because they have Email Mary Bloom, RMP Project lost their WSA status. But this change doesn’t necessarily Manager, at [email protected] mean they’ll be developed. In many cases, the BLM or write to the Miles City Field Office continues to manage areas to maintain their wilderness at 111 Garryowen Road, character even after their WSA status changes. Miles City, MT 59301. 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 30 years. The revision of this document gives us the perfect opportunity to influence how the BLM will 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 will diligently work towards that protection as we’ve worked the last several years to protect prairie wildlands throughout eastern Montana, including along the scenic Hi-Line. Like southeastern Montana, the Hi-Line boasts many large, unprotected backcountry areas with wilderness characteristics. The BLM recently identified about 386,000 acres of public land along 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 after conducting extensive fieldwork in the summer of 2013. Currently, MWA is the largest conservation organization in Montana dedicated to eastern Montana’s public lands. We’ll continue dedicating time, energy, and resources to our prairie wildlands. By the same token, we’ll be asking you to provide comments to the BLM urging protection of Buffalo Creek, Zook Creek, and other special wild places in eastern Montana that we’re working to protect. –Cameron Sapp, Eastern Montana Field Representative –Mark Good, Central Montana Field Directo r

We talked about how sweet it will be to hang up a couple of new Bob Marshall Wilderness signs along the new, enlarged boundary. We talked about the importance of working with the Forest 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 that the passage of the Heritage Act will create momentum for the protection of other wild places in Montana. In Great Falls, the party was jubilant and filled with the hope and gratitude truly befitting the season, hope that we can build on this victory by doing what we do best: finding common ground, 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 are already hard at work on the next chapter: making sure the Heritage Act lives up to its promise of keeping the Front the way it is. That means working with the local community, the Forest Service, 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 needs protection—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 the passage of the Heritage Act, we have great hope that we can lay the foundation for a permanent-protection solution that this piece of the Front demands.

–Casey Perkins, Rocky Mountain Front Field Director

WINTER 2015 13 UPDATE FROM THE LEGISLATURE

DEFENDING PUBLIC LANDS AT THE STATE CAPITOL

Passage of the Heritage Act has given us good reason to celebrate. It was an incredible success that reminds us that our values predominate in Montana and that the system for protecting public lands still works. Bipartisan efforts that have so commonly defined how Montanans 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 state legislators came to Helena with their sights set on taking way our success—by taking the public out of public lands. Montana’s 64th Legislature convened this month, and we are ready to counter this minority and kill their bills and schemes geared towards transferring 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-Thompson Falls), Rep. Kerry White (R-Bozeman), and others have been building a legislative plan, hosting public forums, and travelling across the West to push their transfer agenda, an agenda that strikes not just at our outdoor heritage, but at our way of life. If they succeed, the gates would lock on some of Montana’s most treasured hunting grounds, fishing holes, camping grounds, and hiking lands. It is a reckless and irresponsible plan, one that Montanans can’t afford and voters flatly reject. ! WE NEED YOUR HELP MWA has already started fighting against this plan Join hundreds of other Montanans and for our public lands in the halls and chambers in the Capitol rotunda at noon on of the Capitol, reminding our elected leaders that public February 16, Presidents’ Day, for a lands are crucial to who we are are as Montanans. rally to support our public lands and We have ramped up efforts to influence decisions in outdoor heritage. our state legislature, and we are excited to be playing a leading role in shaping public lands policy for the future of our state. Partnering with community, business, and faith leaders, as well as with teachers, organized labor, and sportsmen, we are working to build a strong and diverse coalition that leads us on a path 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 the legislature. 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

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 protect Montana’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.

14 WILD MONTANA MEMBERS MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Thanks to the new members who joined the Montana Wilderness Association from October 1 to December 31, 2014.

BUTTE BIG HOLE AREA ISLAND RANGE Rick Lewis WILD DIVIDE Debi Herman Giao Hoang CHAPTER Catherine Logan CHAPTER Geoff & Norma Kontje Lonnie & Daryl Carol Berg Jen Mikkelson Lesley Bergman Mark Krause W. Murphy Barbara Bessette Brandon O’Brien Rebecca Cooper Thomas Linville NorthWestern Energy Karen Enseleit Allison Pardis Joe Donohoe Emily Madison Glen Southergill Julie Gibney Lisa Trankley Steve Harper Doug Messineo Josh Granger & Kristin Williamson Adel Johnson Gary Miller EASTERN WILDLANDS Erin Madison Peggy Wood Ben Lamb Mark Nowicki CHAPTER Jill Harvie Paul Lehman Patricia & Hans Peterson Sondra Arnold Kam Kidrick SHINING MOUNTAINS Roy Marino Louise Pfister Scott Hedegaard Lewis & Clark Trail CHAPTER Ada Montague Joy & Bob Rogers Tim Nordstrom Heritage Foundation Edward Callaghan David Niss Bob & Valerie Russo Mur Quaglia Sarah Mizener Checota Foundation Kristie Noonan Christina Sandt Dave Sapp Ladawna Nelson Nancy De Pastino Cara Orban Lisa Seeley Mark Ozog George Frasca Lorraine Samuel Will Snyder FLATHEAD-KOOTENAI Joseph Petrella Nancy Gibson Ann Sutton CHAPTER Nielo Robinson Morgan Hyde OUT OF STATE Judith Talley Patty Archibald Dawn Baker Caleb Kasper Jim and Jan Bobst Aaron Theisen Carol Bibler Genevieve Barhaugh Sam & Marilyn Lemaich Erin Burke Karl Toubman & Terri Hunt Nick Lockridge Lois Cameron Kathie Pomeroy Mark Lannen MADISON-GALLATIN Bill Moore Travis Chapin Michael Wilpers Linda Newgard CHAPTER Susan Peterson Jodi Clark & Richard Wise Kathleen O’Hair Christina Crane Norm Sindelar Mae Morales Katherine Potter Garry Edson Renee Snyder Monte Cole Debra Reeves Eliza Gillilan The Sports Exchange LLC Tom & Cindy Downing Deborah Sapp Suzy Hall Hoberecht & Jamie Tipton Dan Fenn Mary Ann Schuman Kim Hoberecht Brandon Veth Christine Gillmore Dan Hasenpflug & Patricia Vogel Robert Harder Cathy Hasenpflug Mark Wetherington, Jr John & Lisa Harley Michael Herring Karen J. Wilson Art Jacobsen

WHY I “I love the rare beauty, inspiration, and peace I find in the pristine wild places of Montana. From my home in Billings, GIVE 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 and preserve these unique wild lands for generations to come.“ –Rita Harding, Billings, MT

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Montana Wilderness Association Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage 80 S. Warren, Helena, MT 59601 PAID Permit #151 Great Falls, MT