Dear Senator Daines

We, the Powell County Commission, wish to express support for the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act (MSCA) and the release of Hoodoo Mountain and Wales Creek Wilderness Study Areas (WSA). Montana’s WSAs have been stuck in legal limbo for over 40 years, creating challenges for both land managers and public land users. In 1991, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) found that neither Hoodoo Mountain nor Wales Creek WSA fit the criteria for recommended wilderness, yet both areas remain listed as WSAs over 30 years later. Releasing these two areas from WSA designation would allow for enhanced wildfire mitigation efforts across all of Hoodoo Mountain and half of Wales Creek. As the MSCA is currently written, the post-release management of these areas would be guided by the current Resource Management Plan (RMP) in place which would severely limit access to and management of about half of Wales Creek. Therefore, we recommend adding language to this bill that dictates future management of Hoodoo Mountain and Wales Creek WSAs, beyond the current RMP, which allows local constituencies to collaborate with the BLM in managing these lands.

While there is broad agreement that the Hoodoo Mountain and Wales Creek WSAs do not merit designation as Wilderness, both offer unique opportunities for outdoor recreation and solitude. As such, Powell County supports the release of these WSAs but also supports a collaborative, locally informed process to determine what replaces the WSA designation. A permanent designation that protects recreational values while addressing wildfire risks and other resource management concerns would better serve Powell County residents and allow for appropriate, locally led resource management. Reverting to the administrative management outlined in the RMP may not reflect the Powell County constituency’s vision for long-term management. For example, under the current RMP, over 5,600 acres of Wales Creek would be managed as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern if released as a WSA. Under the Area of Critical Environmental Concern designation, the area would be closed to timber harvest, limiting the ability of land managers to conduct wildfire mitigation efforts, and would limit public access to foot and stock traffic only. Promoting collaborative, locally led management in lieu of defaulting to the management outlined in the RMP would allow for broader public consensus which will enhance wildfire mitigation efforts as well as recreational opportunities for all.

Thank you, Senator Daines, for leading the effort to release the Hoodoo Mountain and Wales WSAs and for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act.

Respectfully,

Dan Sager, Presiding Officer

Ralph E. Mannix Jr., Member

Ruth E. Koehler, Member