Page 62 - Flathead Beacon // 12.24.14

62 | DECEMBER 24, 2014
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SUPPORTERS PRAISE PASSAGE OF NORTH FORK BILL
Tester, Walsh visit West Glacier to commemorate passage of historic conservation measure
By Tristan Scott
WEST GLACIER – Flanked by a peak- studded view of Glacier National Park’s western boundary, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and John Walsh visited the historic Bel- ton Chalet Dec. 19 to celebrate the recent passage of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act.
Dozens of local supporters attended the event, and an eclectic group of stake- holders hailed the measure’s success as a landmark in conservation history, thank- ing the senators for their heavy-lift in the waning days of a divided Congress’ lame- duck session.
President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law Friday afternoon.
Included in the mix of attendees were members of conservation groups, the timber industry, city and busi- ness leaders, and politicians from both
Chas Cartwright, former superintendent at Glacier National Park, congratulates U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and John Walsh, D-Mont., on the passage of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act at the Belton Chalet in West Glacier. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
sides of the aisle.
Republican Congressman Steve
Daines, who also supported the bill, did not attend, but received effusive praise for his willingness to negotiate with his Democratic colleagues.
Former Glacier National Park Super- intendent Chas Cartwright, a longtime champion of the bill, which has been in the works for nearly 40 years and bans future mining and drilling on 383,267 acres of federal land in the North Fork of the Flathead River, said the rare bi- partisan collaboration and tireless local support of the measure is symbolic of a strong conservation legacy in the Crown of the Continent.
“Being a part of the conservation his- tory of the Flathead, however small of a part that might be, is an amazing thing,”
Cartwright said. “It’s equally important to acknowledge all the people, past and present, who have committed themselves in some way to the protection and preser- vation of the North Fork, including most of you in this room. If not for their hard work and dedication, we would not be here today. We are, in fact, here precise- ly because we have a proven track record of cooperating and collaborating with one another, no matter what our back- grounds.”
The bill emerged as a rider to the Na- tional Defense Authorization Act, a piece of must-pass legislation that included a package of 70 national public land bills, the largest collection since the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.
In addition to the North Fork bill, the package included the Rocky Mountain
Front Heritage Act, which adds 67,000 acres to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, designates 208,000 acres nearby as a conservation management area, and releases 14,000 acres of wilderness study areas for a new assessment of the poten- tial for oil and gas extraction. It also al- lows the reassessment of 15,000 addi- tional acres of wilderness study areas for potential energy development.
Tester said the collective decision to attach the package to the defense bill, which allows $585 billion in discretion- ary spending and $63.7 billion in overseas operations, was the most practical way to move the bills forward, even though it re- quired compromise.
“This is compromise. This is how you come to a deal,” Tester said. “You don’t get everything you want. If it was entirely
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