In defense of our public lands

All Montanans who love our public lands breathed a sigh of relief when sell-off of public lands was removed from President Trump’s budget reconciliation bill. We mobilized and resisted that direct attack but make no mistake – the next attempted raid is underway, and this one will prove more challenging to defeat. 

Since anti-public land Republicans failed in their direct efforts to sell-off public lands, their next approach is to destroy the agencies that manage those lands and then suggest a selling them to the highest bidder is the only solution. They began their attack this past winter with large layoffs of public land staff resulting from the goofy, blunt axe, DOGE process. Those layoffs and “encouraged” retirements continue and they will likely get much worse.   

For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to dramatically re-organize the Forest Service and among other things, eliminate Regional Offices, including the Regional Office in Missoula.  With that move alone, Montanans are losing hundreds of jobs and direct access to the decision makers that guide the management of Forest Service lands in Montana.   

These cuts and reorganization are proposed under the smokescreen of efficiency. The real purpose is to set up the Forest Service to fail.  With that failure will come the proposed solution to sell off the federal lands we all enjoy to the highest bidder.    

If that happens you can then kiss your public lands (our shared backyards where we have hunted, fished, camped, and hiked for generations) goodbye.  All of us lose the incredible legacy we have inherited where almost 30% of the land in Montana is ours to freely enjoy. 

Trump and his henchmen not only want to gut the agencies responsible for managing our public lands — they also want to remove the rules that ensure those lands will be managed in the public’s best interest.   

For example, since 2001 the Roadless Rule has been in place to help preserve the quality of public lands for a generation. But now it’s proposed for elimination. That commonsense rule ensures that some areas of our national forests that are currently roadless remain that way to protect critical watersheds, vital wildlife corridors and recreational opportunities. 

The attacks don’t stop there. Paired with abolishing the Roadless Rule is the Project 2025 proposal to expand oil and gas development on public lands. That effort will put more money in the pockets of oil and gas companies as they destroy our public land legacy, all the while stopping renewable energy projects and eliminating the jobs they create. 

Can management of public lands be improved?  Of course! But the solution is not to destroy the agencies responsible for their management. It’s time we take an honest look at improving management of public lands instead of the phony effort currently under way. 

This description of what lies ahead may sound overblown or paranoid. Sadly, it isn’t. Staff reductions are already impacting maintenance, law enforcement and the agencies’ abilities to fight devastating wildfires and protect communities. The Trump administration is clearly following the Project 2025 manifesto.  They have tried the frontal assault on our public lands and failed. The flank attack is underway.  

Now is the time to contact Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy as well as Reps. Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke.  Demand that they stop efforts to gut the Forest Service and systematically destroy our public lands in Montana. Each of our federal delegation members proudly claim to be conservation champions, and we need them to prove that they are through their leadership and advocacy.  

Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers of Belgrade and Senate Becky Edwards of Bozeman sit on the state Senate and House and Natural Resources Committees.