By Randy Newberg
Congressman Denny Rehberg has asked Montanans to tell him more about
the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act and the remarkable, five-year
public process behind the collaborative effort to conserve public lands
along the Front. He's holding a listening session in Choteau today at
2:30 p.m. in the Choteau Public Schools auditorium.
He's going to
hear two things, loud and clear: Montana sportsmen are committed to
conserving the Front, and they will welcome the Congressman's support in
keeping this sportsman's paradise just the way it is.
The Front
is that expansive, rough country that'll take your breath away every
time you drive U.S. Highway 200 south of Great Falls. It's a wellspring
of clean, cold water; a place that supports significant livestock
grazing; and an important lure for tourists who give a boost to
traditional small-town economies.
But more than anything, it's a
sportsman's paradise. Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
tallies some 90,000 hunter days along the Front and some $10 million
spent by sportsmen in nearby communities each fall. Many more days and
dollars from fishing, camping, and hiking.
...This is what Congressman Rehberg will hear: The Front is the best of the
Last Best Place — and we want to keep it just the way it is.
Read more:
Randy is a board member of Orion and owner of On Your Own Adventures in Bozeman, MT
A pseudo-conservation
group, Sportsmen For Fish and Wildlife, is spearheading biologically bankrupt
anti-predator schemes that are guaranteed to waste millions of dollars and
undermine legitimate wildlife management.