The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act (HR 1581/S. 1087) will be considered this week by the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Denny Rehberg is a co-sponsor of HR 1581.
In the state of Montana alone this would remove federal protections from about 5.5 million acres. This would have a detrimental effect along the Rocky Mountain Front, Badger Two Medicine, North Fork of the Flathead, areas along the Continental Divide as well as substantial sections of the Sapphires, Cabinets, Bitterroot and Swan Ranges.
The results of the 1977 Montana Wilderness Study Act and the 1986 Forest Plan stand to be ignored if this legislation should pass. Study after study and survey after survey have shown that the majority of people in Montana are very supportive of these areas remaining wild.
Please join us in writing to elected officials and voice your concerns regarding this total disregard of public sentiment, the outdoor industry, hunters, anglers, hikers, horsemen and skiers.
Don & Colleen Scharfe
Kalispell