HJ 9 Supporting release of wilderness study areas OPPOSE

This is today!!!!!  PLEASE CALL IN 444-4800   Leave a message for all House Natural Resources Committee members.

20-FEB-17    3:00 PM    172    HJ 9     
 Resolution supporting the release of certain wilderness study areas    Kerry White  (R) HD 64
This is entry level Fed. Lands Transfer.  Any release should be organic…..coming from the folks that use the areas…the public, businesses, industry, sportsmen, wilderness advocates, etc.  Some have languished long because of a lack of compromise. 

Each area is different with differing values to everyone.  The idea of collaborative working groups like the Blackfoot Legacy offer the best way to handle it. 

 (This includes the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn area connecting Hyalite to Yellowstone, a large swath of key habitat and outdoor recreational bliss the forest service has been working on for years to create a multi-use solution.)

Overarching Message frame: This resolution is the latest attack on our public lands sponsored by the same people who want to transfer these lands to the state and private interests. This resolution is a top down edict from Helena, that undermines years of collaborative work by Montanans to shape the future of the public lands nearest their communities.

    •    Montana’s WSAs span dozens of counties and affect communities across the state. Many of these communities have strong interest in how these lands are managed but they have never been consulted regarding this resolution. Shouldn’t they have a say? If local control truly matters, then the committee should respect the locals who also say that they appreciate and like WSA’s.

    •    This resolution adopts a failed one-size-fits-all approach that Montanans reject. This divisive resolution follows a failed model of picking winners and losers through a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach. Just as Montanans have rejected efforts to designate all WSAs as wilderness with no community input, they should reject efforts to release all WSAs as well.

    •    Montanans know best how to resolve land management issues. Montanans have a long track record of resolving land management issues through collaborative, place-based efforts that include all stakeholders—including timber, sportsmen, motorized and non-motorized recreation, conservation, and others.

    •    This resolution undermines locally-driven, collaborative efforts. There are over a dozen collaborative, bottom-up efforts ongoing across the state. Through these efforts, Montanans are working together to resolve their differences and chart a path forward. These efforts are the best way to resolve the status of WSAs, and this resolution undermines that important work. 

    •    Montana contains 44 wilderness study areas, spanning close to a million acres. These areas provide important habitat for big game, outstanding fisheries, and world-class recreation opportunities and many deserve to be permanently protected. Their management is of interest to all Montanans.

    •    Stop Playing Politics with Public Land: Montanans are working across the spectrum to reach consensus on how to manage public lands that belong to all Americans. That means conversations across fence lines and at kitchen tables. This resolution seeks to introduce more conflict in situations where we need understanding rather than animosity. 

Please consider standing tall with us on this.  Public lands transfer is a toxic subject for many of us.

You can call TODAY and leave a message for the House Natural Resources Committee: (406) 444-4800.