Viewpoint: A local’s perspective on the treasure of wilderness

As someone who has grown up in Montana, the wilderness has always been something that I have found profoundly beautiful. I have witnessed firsthand the majesty of landscapes such as the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and mission mountain wilderness.

As someone who has fished, floated, and explored many parts of the Blackfoot river, I find it important to keep the area alive and pristine for every future generation of Montanan.

In putting forward the idea of community, the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act shows that people with different roots and values from hunters, conservationists, and even loggers can put aside their distinctive views to make a compromise. Seventy-nine percent of Montanans support this compromise that contributes to local economies and the health of the community as a whole.

In passing this act we protect the picturesque scenery and ecosystems that define this one-of-a-kind state, in keeping its natural sublimity alive for years to come.