Our friends at the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force are gathering public support, via a petition, for “A Citizen Plan for Fish, Wildlife & Forests.” This visionary plan for the Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests was released ahead of the Forest Service (FS) beginning its long-overdue revision of the forest management plans for both forests in western Montana. The public comment period begins in early 2023. The Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests are (even by the Forest Service’s admission) nationally and globally important and one of the wildest and most wildlife-rich places left in the Lower 48. There are six Wildernesses on the two forests—the Selway-Bitterroot, Frank Church-River of No Return, Scapegoat, Anaconda-Pintler, Welcome Creek, and Rattlesnake. The forests are vital for the long-term survival of our native wildlife, including rare and endangered species such as the grizzly bear, wolf, lynx, wolverine, bull trout, and cutthroat trout. The forest management plans will guide management decisions on these forests for decades to come. The logging and mining industries, motorized recreation groups, and other advocates for “multiple use” will make sure they have a place at the table, but we must speak up for the fish, wildlife, and the forests themselves. The Task Force’s plan does just that. Help us show the Forest Service that there is overwhelming public support for keeping the heart of the Northern Rockies wild. |
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The Citizen Forest Plan will apply the best available science to: - protect our roadless areas with wilderness character and our Wild & Scenic waterways
- preserve and protect the wilderness character of the existing Wildernesses
- protect habitat for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species
- protect and restore water quality for native fish and people
- identify and protect habitat linkages for wildlife
- allow natural processes such as fire and insects to play their role in shaping the landscape
- minimize threats to human communities and essential infrastructure through pre-fire planning based on scientifically-based standards
- maintain opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
Read the plan: https://bit.ly/3v8H1s4 |
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Help us protect Wilderness around the country. All first-time donations DOUBLED by a generous member in Alaska. |
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