Residents, retired feds urge delegation to protect more public lands

Retired Forest Service brass and other prominent Montana citizens called on Montana's congressional delegation Thursday to press for the establishment of additional wilderness areas in the state.

The group said it believes that 26 years is too long since any land in the state has been permanently protected as wilderness. During that same period, more than 439 wilderness areas have been designated in other states.

"We believe that what Montana's wildlands need now, more than ever, is leadership in Washington from Montana's delegation," the group said in a letter to Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg.

"With that in mind we ask that you make new wilderness designation for Montana a top priority in Congress this year."

"We definitely need a wilderness bill for Montana and it is past time for a statewide bill," said Dale Bosworth, a former Forest Service chief who lives in Missoula. "There are many areas that deserve to be designated as wilderness and in my opinion, it would be very helpful to the Forest Service. Having wilderness designation in limbo for nearly 30 years makes it difficult for the agency to do its job."

Montana currently has 15 designated wilderness areas covering more than 3.4 million acres. But there are thousands of acres of national forest lands identified as wilderness study areas, where the Forest Service has held off on multiple-use management.

"There are wild lands in Montana today that deserve wilderness protection every bit as much as the Bob Marshall deserved it 45 years ago," retired Montana congressman Pat Williams said.

The letter points out that the 2009 Public Lands omnibus bill that recently passed the Senate would designate new wilderness areas in six western states, but it contains no provisions for Montana.

"It's time for Montana to have a wilderness bill. It's past time," Missoula-area outfitter Smoke Elser said.

"Wilderness in Montana is money in the bank because it brings visitors from across the nation to our state and we'd much rather have them coming here than going elsewhere."

Also signing the letter were Whitefish author Doug Chadwick, retired forest Supervisor Orville Daniels, Lolo author David Duncan, University of Montana Professor Rick Graetz, former Great Falls Mayor Randy Gray, rancher Hugo Turek, retired Regional Forester John Mumma, Missoula businessman Dale Harris and Pam Sheldon of the Montana Association of Churches.

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