Teddy Roosevelt is often known as one of the biggest supporters of conservation and protecting lands from overuse. During his presidency, he was able to protect many areas for future users. Since then, we as a country have done a fabulous job of setting aside lands for public use. I believe if President Roosevelt were to see our public lands today, he would have some harsh words of criticism for what has happened to our public lands and how we have stewarded what he left behind for us. I am an avid public land user, and the availability of public lands is one of the main reasons I live in Montana, but the way we are currently taking care of those lands is disheartening.
Our forests are in terrible shape; millions of acres are way overgrown, dead or dying, burned to the ground or filled with weeds. An ever-expanding forest in other areas is taking over our prairies, and our water supplies are being dried up by too many trees in some areas or filled with ash and dirt in other areas because of fire. Every summer our skies are filled with smoke from coast to coast. The amount of wildlife that uses these public lands compared to the number of acres available is abysmal. Between the quality of habitat and the number of apex predators, wildlife numbers have fallen greatly on public land.
Why has all of this happened in the last generation? I believe it is because of the lack of management. Nothing in life improves by just walking away and ignoring it. Want to improve your health? You pay attention to it and take care of your body. If you want a pretty lawn and flowerbeds, you spend time managing it: putting down fertilizer, trimming and pruning bushes, and cutting trees. All this leads to a better outcome. No land manager or rancher buys a large parcel of land and walks away thinking the best thing to do is ignore it. No, they work constantly to improve the land for their intended use. We must do that to our public lands. If not, we are doing a disservice to the idea of what those lands are for.
I have had the privilege of spending considerable time in several Wilderness Areas and a fair amount on National Forest and BLM lands over the years. I have seen firsthand how mismanagement has made these areas less desirable for wildlife and public use. Many acres of land are completely unusable and have been abandoned by both animals and humans. Currently in Montana, we are facing issues with more wildlife using private land as home instead of the public land it has used for decades. The public land is so undesirable to wildlife, with the lack of adequate food and shelter, and pressure from predators, that it has forced these animals into cohabitation with humans and cows. This is causing considerable issues with ranchers, hunters, and wildlife managers. Public land users such as I see a growing number of people crowded into fewer areas because of the unusable areas that people no longer bother to visit.
Why is this happening when we have very competent people whose job it is to manage landscapes? We have proven track records on private grounds where landscapes are thriving, and wildlife numbers far exceed those on non-managed lands. The answer is the fact that many Americans have been sold on the idea that the best thing to do to vast swaths of our public land is to walk away from it and keep the humans and their interference out of it. Unfortunately, this is a lie! People with no knowledge of these lands and who have not taken the time to learn about them have become very vocal on the idea of zero management of our valued lands. National environmental groups repeatedly file lawsuits to stop active management. Environmental organizations have created a fairy tale of these lands where wildlife abounds and lives out their lives in nature’s perfect balance. They have convinced too many people of this false reality. None of this is accurate. We must change course.
I encourage everyone who has an interest in this topic to do some research on land and wildlife management. It would be even better to come out and see it firsthand and talk to those working on the land daily. I want to see these lands alive with healthy forests, abundant wildlife, and flowing rivers. Just don’t fall for the narrative that it should all be ignored so that nature can take its own course. Active management must occur for these lands to reach their peak potential. Just like having a healthy body, we must take care of things and be proactive to achieve the best possible results.
Shannon Maness is a Republican state representative from Dillon.