Fate of Montana’s backcountry areas deserve public meetings
A horse party makes its way across Big River Meadows in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in this file photo. (Photo by Chris Peterson)
The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule has long served as a critical safeguard for the places that sustain Montana’s way of life and our state’s $3.4 billion outdoor recreation economy. Despite strong public support for the Rule, political appointees at the Forest Service are rushing to eliminate this critical safeguard for our public lands. Rescinding the Roadless Rule will directly harm the lives and livelihoods of Montanans who depend on clean water, healthy wildlife, and wild, accessible backcountry experiences.
Montana’s roadless areas are often remote but they are not inaccessible — they are the places we visit to immerse ourselves in world-class recreation. They are where we fill our freezers with elk and venison, where we cast for native trout in cold, clear streams, where we ride through forests untouched by industrial development and where we find untracked powder.
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