Ballot issue polls voters on roadless areas

Although it is not binding, one of the more interesting items on Tuesday's ballot in Flathead County is a question aimed at testing support for protecting roadless areas.

But those who wanted the question - about how the U.S. Forest Service should manage roadless areas - on the primary-election ballot felt it would provide the best test of what voters in Flathead County think about the issue.

And the results could be used to apply political pressure on the Forest Service. Other than that, the roadless question is nothing more than a straw poll.

The question is on the ballot at the request of Flathead County Commissioners Bob Watne and Gary Hall, with the wording developed by a county task force appointed to develop a position on roadless areas, as requested by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

A majority on the panel came up with the following language that will appear on the ballot:

"At the present time there are 64 million acres of national forest lands managed as roadless areas in Montana. Should that forest land:

A) Be managed by the Forest Service for multiple purposes including motorized recreation and roaded timber production;

OR

B) Be managed by the Forest Service for multiple use purposes including non-motorized recreation and roadless timber production."

The language came about after considerable debate, with some panel members questioning whether a simple ballot question can reflect the considerable complexities involved with an ongoing national debate over roadless area management.

Commissioner Joe Brenneman did not support having the question on the ballot. He questioned whether it would accurately reflect public sentiments when only a fraction of the public votes.

And he said that the all-or-nothing nature of the question for 64,000 acres fails to account for specific areas that should be remain unroaded, and specific areas that should not.

Fred Hodgeboom, a task force member and President of Montanans for Multiple Use, said the ballot question would have value as an "expression of the people who show up to vote."

Because the Forest Service has not adopted a firm approach to roadless areas, he said, the agency has chosen to avoid any management activity in those areas.

The basic theme of the ballot question, he said, is whether voters support "some flexibility for site-specific management" in roadless areas.

The ballot question was a byproduct of the task force's work.

The panel also produced majority and minority opinions with recommendations for managing roadless areas. Those opinions were forwarded to Gov. Schweitzer, who is developing a formal state petition with roadless recommendations that will be forwarded to the Forest Service.

The Bush administration requested state input on the roadless issue last year.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com