Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act leaves more work to be done

Recently Montanans had much to celebrate with the passage of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act and the North Fork Protection Act affording high levels of protection for these magnificent landscapes.

The Rocky Mountain Front holds a special place in my heart; my husband and I have hiked and backpacked there since we moved to Montana 20 years ago. If I, who don’t live on the Front, feel this way how much more deeply do those who live and work there feel? Their passion translated into the hard collaborative work with many disparate interests that resulted in the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act.

No one got everything they wanted, everyone had to compromise, just as our congressional delegation compromised to get the Front and the North Fork protected through the recently passed package of public lands bills. I am deeply disappointed that the delegation amended the original version of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act and chose to remove protections for two Wilderness Study Areas, just as I am disappointed in other parts of the lands package. It’s a sad reflection on the standard way of doing things in Washington, D.C., but that’s why I plan to roll up my sleeves and work to protect those areas that were impacted.

Passing the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act was a fantastic way to get Montana’s Wilderness train rolling again, and I can’t think of a better way to conclude celebrations of The Wilderness Act’s 50th Anniversary.  But there are millions more acres that deserve Wilderness protection in Montana – so let’s get back to work!