Viewpoint: Ryan Zinke is no Roosevelt
Corey Ellis
Theodore Roosevelt said, “If a public man tries to get your vote by saying that he will do something wrong in your interest, you can be absolutely certain then, if ever it becomes worth his while, he will do something wrong against your interest.”
Ryan Zinke embodies the man Rossevelt tried to warn us about. Zinke has done an amazing job of appearing to support Public Lands. This is good politics because Public Lands are a big issue for Montana voters and you can’t win in this state without a pro Public Lands stance. Zinke has sent out flyers declaring that he saved our Public Lands from sale in the One Big Beautiful Bill. But what does the record actually show?
Stopping the sale of Public Lands and letting us keep what is already ours is only a win in the most cynical view. And Zinke's advocacy for Public Lands, wildlife and habitat stops there. He supported the DOGE cuts which gutted various agencies charged with managing our public lands. He was mum when the USDA announced the Missoula Forest Service Office will be closing. This is blatant hypocrisy since Zinke has repeatedly called for more local input and viewpoints in federal decisions.
Zinke also supports rescinding the Roadless Rule which is protecting some of the best habitat in the state while also saving the Forest Service and taxpayers money by reducing road maintenance costs.
Again this is frustrating since he supported DOGE because of its supposed cost cutting benefits. He has repeatedly claimed that this rule was passed without public input or support when in fact there were over 600 public meetings during its proposal, generating 1.6 million comments overwhelmingly in support.
To date there have been ZERO public meetings regarding the rule’s rescission. He claimed that he wants to repeal the Roadless Rule to provide access for the elderly and disabled. But does anyone actually believe that 1. We have a shortage of roads and 2. That it was a coalition of elderly and disabled that pushed this and not the extractive industries and access zealots?
Despite Zinke’s supposed support of local control and small government, he has also supported Congress overturning the BLM’s resource management plans which were created in cooperation with local stakeholders like ranchers, tribes, energy companies, loggers, hunters, conservationists and off-roaders. The long-term effects will likely be less certainty for local economies, more litigation, damaged habitat and favorable conditions for industry. It seems for Zinke that “local input” is just a talking point.
Even during his short and controversial time as Secretary of Interior, during the first Trump administration, Zinke was no friend to Public Lands. He recommended reducing protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments. A recommendation the president ultimately followed. He was the first Secretary of Interior in the history of the country to recommend reducing a national monument. Zinke again claimed there was no local support for the original designation but it had the support of every conservation group in the area, 5 nearby tribes, hunting and fishing groups, climbing groups and even some support from oil and gas.
The list of anti-conservation and anti-Public Land actions Zinke supported goes on: he supported the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling and seismic testing; he undid sage grouse management that would help keep the birds off the endangered species list; he encouraged mining next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness; he opened up protected areas to offshore drilling; and he gave a closed door meeting to the American Legislative Exchange Council–one of the country's strongest advocates of transferring public lands.
Montanans want more than lip service for our Public Lands. We want action that protects the foundations of our way of life. Zinke has called himself a “Teddy Roosevelt republican.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Roosevelt stopped the pillage of our Public Lands by protecting millions of acres and making the robber barons of lumber and minerals pay their fair share.
Zinke has swung the door open at the expense of Public Lands at nearly every opportunity. Sure, he helped stop the sale of lands that never should have been sold but then has done everything in his power to effectively hand the keys of those lands over anyway. The sum of Zinke's actions are clear, he is no friend to Public Lands. It's time for new representation in Western Montana, someone who actually represents its people, its values and our Public Lands.
Corey Ellis lives in Missoula and owns a small business. He is a member of a dozen conservation organizations, manages his family’s land in the Mission Valley for conservation and is a lifetime hunter and angler.