Some have been taking shots at Sen. Jon Tester for wanting too much wilderness in his forest management bill. Some make it sound like there will be no places left to drive their four-wheelers. That just does not make sense.
When one looks at the facts, it's clear that this is only a modest addition to Montana's network of wilderness areas. It's equally clear that this bill is a sincere, multi-faceted attempt to resolve some of Montana's vexing public land issues.
As a hunter, a wildlife biologist and someone concerned for future generations, I think that is a darned good reason to support it. Tester's bill would only designate a little over 2 percent of the public lands in Montana as wilderness and the entire wilderness in Montana will still add up to about 4 percent of the entire state - including newly protected places special to folks in Missoula like the headwaters of Rock Creek, Monture Creek and the high country of the West Big Hole.
Let's not forget that the proposed wilderness areas for the most part do not have roads in them, never have and have been managed as wilderness for over a quarter-century. So this is about keeping those special places in Montana as they are, not changing them.
Approximately 85 percent of the public lands in Montana will still be open for future debate as to how they are used for generations to come. Good to know Montanans will long have something to discuss over coffee and at barbershops.
As a wildlife biologist, I understand that we must have some wilderness for elk, deer, wolverine, grizzlies and many more species to retreat from the ever-growing presence of human activities. I spent too many years helping to conserve our natural heritage not to rejoice when some success is at hand.
As a hunter, I appreciate these areas as a place to get away from the churn of machines and seek the game that retreats to the backcountry for similar reasons as mine. One opponent to more wilderness recently told me he was getting old, and could no longer ride a horse or walk into the backcountry, so he wanted the ability to drive everywhere. I countered that I too was getting older and now plan my hunts a little less deep into those wilderness areas so I can stand tall under the weight of my harvest.
However, there conies a time to move on; we do not need to do it all, everywhere, always. But that's not really the point. The real point is, my grandchildren and their grandchildren must have the opportunity to do what he and I have done and what we may not be able to do as we grow into our days of telling stories of our past adventures out in the wilds.
There is room for all of us in Montana to do what we want if we work together, stop throwing rocks at each other and stop only thinking of our own needs. Tester's bill and its wilderness designations could go further for niy needs and those of wildlife, but I support it because I am glad so many diverse folks came together, showed reason and are helping keep Montana great.
-Randall Gray, Missoula