Missoula County praises River Runs Through It Act

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) An act introduced by Rep. Ryan Zinke focused on the Blackfoot watershed drew enthusiastic praise from Missoula County this week, which called it a “balanced, modern approach” to land management.

The River Runs Through It Act – a play off the lasting novella by Normal Maclean – would add the first new protected wilderness in 14 years, support timber harvest, reduce wildfire risks and open additional recreation opportunities.

Missoula County Commissioner Juanita Vero said the legislation punctuates more than two decades of work within the Blackfoot watershed. The bipartisan effort has crossed traditional barriers and united groups that often hold opposing views on land management.

“This is a huge step forward and we're hoping it continues to get traction,” said Vero. “The exciting part is that this is a Montana made, or Blackfoot style collaboration. It's timber, wilderness, motorized vehicles, non-motorized vehicles, outfitters, recreationists, small business owners, and public-private partnerships. It's a signature piece of how things are done in the Blackfoot.”

The act combines both the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship proposal and the Lincoln Prosperity proposal. More than 430,000 acres of land near the Clearwater and Blackfoot rivers are included in the act with five priority focus areas.

“The act offers a balanced, modern approach to land management,” the county wrote in support of Zinke's proposal. “It emphasizes forest restoration in places where work is desperately needed, safeguards clean water and protects wildlife corridors. These proposals also improve regulatory predictability for the timber industry while strengthening recreation access and supporting local economies.”

A key piece of the legislation adds nearly 100,000 acres of Forest Service land to the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wilderness areas while creating new wilderness on Nevada Mountain.

It also releases 23,000 acres of Wilderness Study areas, opening them up to timber harvest and other management practices, the Daily Montanan reported.

Additional goals of the bill focus on forest management and recreation opportunities. Six “forest restoration areas” are designated across 180,000 acres to improve the health of the forest. Those actions include timber harvest, thinning, vegetation management, prescribed fire and stream restoration.

Additional fuel reduction and forest restoration projects west of Lincoln also aim to reduce wildfire risks to homes and infrastructure, and provide more flexibility in forest management choices.

“This legislation reflects one of the things we love so much about Montana - people working together to achieve practical, collaborative, community-driven solutions,” the county said. “Advancing it now realizes the benefits of more than 20 years of continued collaborative effort and sets expectations for how we work together in the future to ensure Montana's long-standing legacy of common-sense land conservation and stewardship.”

Vero said the county fully backs the legislation.

“We're enthusiastically thanking Zinke for agreeing to carry this, hoping the rest of our delegation is in support,” she said.