Montana Wilderness News: Letters to the Editor

There is a wonderful place in the extreme southwest corner of Montana. It's a mountain range critical to wildlife migration, and it harbors the absolute headwaters of the Missouri River, one of the state's mighty blue-ribbon trout streams.

The Centennial Mountains and its highest point, Mount Jefferson, are one of Montana's most rugged landscapes. This rare east-west range has nearly 100,000 roadless acres and supports healthy populations of mule deer, elk, moose, and bear. That's why most Montanans agree it should stay that way.

I appreciate the Missoulian's description of the creation of the Scapegoat Wilderness ("Celebrating Scapegoat Wilderness," Aug. 19). The editorial rightfully celebrates wilderness protection for places in Montana special to so many Montanans. With Scapegoat, we can especially appreciate how it came into existence - through a grassroots process, which established a lasting legacy using consensus, compromise, and cooperation.

In eastern Montana, oil and gas production is booming, while in the western part of the state the timber industry continues its decline. This begs the question, can we create a viable, long-term timber industry? An industry for the 21st century, not the previous one? An important step in achieving this is to provide the industry a predictable supply of timber from public lands. How do we do this?

It’s only January and I’m already tired of the political games of 2012. With that said, I’d like to address a question to Rep. Rehberg. Mr. Rehberg, do you or do Montana’s sawmill owners know more about the timber industry? That’s an honest question because, if I’m not mistaken, the sawmills who support Sen. Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act say that it’s good for their business. But in a recent tour of newspaper editorial boards you’ve claimed the bill doesn’t guarantee timber work. So who has it right?

Had the Missoulian made one or two phone calls after Rep. Denny Rehberg paid his recent visit to the newsroom, I doubt the paper would have leant much credence to the congressman's proposal to add so-called "trigger language" to the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (Missoulian editorial, Jan. 15).

The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act balances timber harvests with conservation of the most scenic and wild places in Montana. Intended to promote cooperation and collaboration in the management of national forests, it is the result of just that.

The bill already has the backing of timber interests from the Montana Wood Products Association to the Montana Logging Association, as well as local timber mills like Sun Mountain Lumber and RY Timber. It also has the backing of conservation groups, from Montana Trout Unlimited to the Montana Wilderness Association.

Rep. Dennis Rehberg is touring the state, saying in one breath that government needs to get out of the way so small businesses can prosper -- and in the next breath that he intends to stand in the way of legislation Montana's community-based sawmills say would help them thrive.

Rehberg's opposition to the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act doesn't make sense -- at least not the way he explains it.

The FJRA was introduced by Sen. Jon Tester, and Rehberg is running against Tester in this coming November's election. Is that the real reason for Rehberg's opposition?

I sat in on two small meetings where Senator Tester’s “Forest, Jobs and Recreation Act” was reviewed and discussed. No one was quite satisfied with it because it was a compromise bill worked out with environmentalists, scientists, and included the timber industry.

“The American frontier has closed.” These words echo more true than ever since Fredric Jackson Turner said them in 1893. There is no more land to be found, thus, effective management of the areas that humanity has not overwhelmingly penetrated becomes an issue of massive importance. Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, I believe, puts forth a responsible method for maintaining some level of economic dependence on our public land by local communities and balances it with the immediate need for common-sense wilderness protection.

It is heartening to see the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act move forward as part of the Interior Appropriations bill. I hope the Senate and House of Representatives act with courage and conviction and pass this timely piece of legislation.

Count me in Dale Bosworth’s camp as one who would like to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of Senator Tester to this long overdue solution to the stalemate and inaction that has plagued Montana for too many decades, way too many!