I enjoy hiking in wilderness areas, taking photos of birds that have grown comfortable with me sitting still for what feels like hours. Or standing in a river, fly fishing, and hearing the splash of a mother moose and her calf as they cross downstream.
At the moment, the land focused on in the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act allows for purposeful hiking in the quiet of wilderness, and for many different recreational activities – like birding or fishing – to be done in peace.
However, this Act would remove protections from three places currently designated as Wilderness Study Areas. Stripping these protections would allow the use of loud motor vehicles– ruining the sound landscape, damaging the livelihood of wildlife, and making these areas more reminiscent of a parking lot than the tranquil forest.
The Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act is not what Montana needs, and not what Montanans want.
Josef McKee
Columbia Falls