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Talk From the Trail, Wilderness Tour, Day 1

01/05/10

ENNIS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is continuing his wilderness listening tour in order to hear from the stakeholders about proposed wilderness legislation. Below are some the comments and ideas he heard at the public listening session in Ennis and various meetings in Southeastern Montana.

“My goal is to listen to anyone who has something to say about how our land and our resources are managed,” said Rehberg. “What I learn will guide me in my efforts to ensure that any bill Congress passes strikes a fair balance. It’s not about finding reasons to say no; it’s about making changes that will allow everyone to say yes.”

  • John Schuyler with KBEV-FM and KDBM-AM suggested an incremental approach to the creation of new wilderness that creates benchmark targets over a period of time. Each parcel of new wilderness would be created once a certain number of acres were logged, or a certain number of jobs created.
  • Mark Petroni, a former forest ranger in the area disagreed with the testimony of the Forest Service at the Senate hearing for Senator Tester’s legislation. In that testimony the Undersecretary said mandated harvests were unachievable. Petroni said the stewardship projects could be set, and foresters in the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge would be excited to prioritize these projects at the local level. He said the Undersecretary is a political appointee who “has never stepped foot in the forest.”
  • A bicycle enthusiast spoke in favor of legislation that addressed his concerns about how the various boundaries are drawn. Bicycle trails are most often made on natural boundaries – ridges, streams, drainages – while the bill's boundaries follow artificial boundaries. This means that an existing bike trail may weave in and out of a wilderness area many times, subjecting the rider to fines that could reach $1,000.
  • A rancher expressed concern that proposed wilderness boundaries don’t account for existing man-made structures critical to ranching and farming activities, including pipelines, and stock tanks and motorized access to those structures.