Sen. Jon Tester supports our public lands

To the editor:

Have you ever gone fishing in Montana? Taken a hike? Been cross-country skiing? If you’ve spent any amount of time enjoying Montana’s incredible natural beauty, chances are you’ve benefited from public access to public lands. This November, protecting public lands will be on the ballot, and Sen. Jon Tester is the only proven champion for Montana’s outdoor heritage.

Jon has always fought to keep public lands in public hands. Recently, the senator sponsored the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. Many Montanans with different viewpoints (snowmobilers, mountain bikers, horseriders, loggers and wilderness advocates) worked together to propose this plan. Sen. Tester took the agreement and created the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act and has introduced it in the Senate. This Montana-created legislation should be supported by our entire Congressional delegation, but until now Sen. Steve Daines has not signed on to co-sponsor the bill nor has Rep. Greg Gianforte introduced companion legislation in the House.

In contrast to Sen. Tester, his opponent this November is East Coast developer Matt Rosendale, who has pushed to transfer our public lands. When Rosendale sees public lands, he sees an opportunity to develop their natural resources. He’s been a developer for most of his adult life, developing farmland into housing subdivisions. Now, wealthy landowners and developers across Montana have been dumping money into Rosendale’s campaign because they know they can count on him to prioritize their interests.

If you want your children and grandchildren to be able to enjoy the same beautiful Montana lands that we get to enjoy, you should vote for Jon Tester this November. He is the only candidate for the Senate who can be counted on to fight for all Montanans — not just wealthy developers.

—Debo Powers

Polebridge