Rep. Ryan Zinke recently cast his vote on two bills that, if passed, will negatively impact the future of public lands in Montana. The congressman’s press release read, “Zinke does it again: Bucks party leaders and votes NO on transferring ownership of public lands.”
Looks good, right? However, Rep. Zinke failed to note his vote in support of one of the measures, H.R. 2316. Herein lies the problem.
H.R. 2316, “The Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act,” would use governor-appointed committees to manage up to 2 million acres of national forests in Montana. It would free private industries’ from having to abide by national environmental laws that keep our forests healthy and viable.
Visionaries like Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot intended these lands to be managed “to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run.” Rep. Zinke’s vote directly contradicts the intentions of these early conservationists.
Most of us can agree that the management of public lands isn’t perfect. The Forest Service is experiencing massive cuts in both budget and personnel, despite an increased demand for resources and recreation on lands it oversees. This problem requires direct action, not a politician who avows his support of public lands but votes inconsistently on critical legislation.
We cannot let shortsighted interests cloud our vision for sustainable management of these resources. Our children not only should be able to hunt and fish on Montana’s national forest lands; they also should be able to support their families on them as a logger.
Jack Cholewa
Missoula