I want to commend Sen. Jon Tester for the introduction to the Senate of S 1470 "Forest Jobs and Recreation Act of 2009." As the bill itself says, this is "a bill to sustain the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System land and other public land in the state of Montana, to add certain land to the National Wilderness Preservation System, to release certain wilderness study areas, to designate new areas for recreation, and for other purposes ..."
While not perfect, this bill has something for almost everyone in Montana: guaranteed access to the national forests for timber to preserve jobs that are important to Montana people; national recreation areas for all types of motorized, mountain bike and other access; cleaner water for fish and water supplies; and wilderness to add to the relatively small amount of wilderness in Montana.
Compare the percent of national land base that is wilderness, 4.41 percent, with Montana's 3.7 percent. Tester has introduced a bill that will serve all the people of Montana, and we can only hope that the bill gets a speedy hearing and then passage by both the Senate and the House.
Bernard Rose
Billings