[MCN] Fwd: Support your local BLM Wilderness Study Areas!

[Zack Porter]

Hey Missoula,

If you love wild places and wild things like I do, I hope you'll consider
stopping by the BLM's open house at UM this afternoon for as little 10 or
15 minutes to learn about and weigh in on the the new management plan for
the Missoula Field Office.  See you there: *3:30 - 6:30 p.m., University of
Montana, University Center, 3rd floor, Rm. 332.*

Have you heard about this coming Monday's rally for public lands in Helena?
 Check out the details, find a carpool, and RSVP, here
<https://www.facebook.com/events/1863413257279239/>.

Thanks and Keep It Wild!

Zack


[image: Montana Wilderness Association]
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Raise your voice for local Wilderness Study Areas
Attend a BLM planning meeting this week or send your comments

Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area (photo courtesy of Wilderness
Institute)

Hi Zack,

The Missoula Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is re-writing
its management plan for 156,000 acres of public lands in our wild backyard.
Included in that landscape are three important Wilderness Study Areas:
Hoodoo Mountain, Wales Creek, and Quigg West. Now is the time to help shape
how these lands are managed for the next generation.

Scoping open houses will be held this week in Helmville and Missoula.
Please attend the open house closest to you or submit a comment by email to
speak up for the wildlife habitat and connectivity provided by these areas,
as well as their value for quiet recreation.

*Missoula*: Thurs. January 26, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., University of Montana,
University Center, 3rd floor, Rm. 332

A
<http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HExM%2FDNdHIcPjpsHvRg04bvp6y3ndVph>dditional
background information is available on the BLM's website
<http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Dl5VdAkwc4%2FeI%2BQ6Cb6PjLvp6y3ndVph>
.

Below are some requests we're sending to the BLM in our comments. Feel free
to request the same in your comments. You can email your comments to
blm_mt_missoularmp at blm.gov <blm_mt_missoularmp at blm.gov>
<blm_mt_missoularmp at blm.gov>.

We're asking the BLM to:

   - Remember that it has a responsibility to manage Wilderness Study Areas
   (WSAs) in a manner that preserves their wilderness qualities and maintains
   their suitability for future Wildereness designation.
   - Inventory each of the three WSAs in the Garnet Range and Sapphire
   Mountains and lands that surround those WSAs as Lands with Wilderness
   Characteristics.
   - Recognize the outstanding opportunities for solitude WSAs provide,
   regardless of the amount of use they receive. We know that some areas are
   prized hunting grounds and experience high volumes of traffic during
   hunting seasons. However, this should not exclude opportunities for
   solitude or primitive recreation at any other time of year.
   - Manage lands, as other land managers do, to protect a variety of
   values, including scenic, historical, ecological, and archaeological
   values. Certain lands need to be managed in a way that preserves their
   natural conditions and protects fish and wildlife habitat.
   - Prioritize quiet recreation, which is good for local economies.
   According to a recent independent study, there were 2.9 million quiet
   recreation visits to Montana’s BLM lands in 2015. Those visits generated
   $141 million in direct spending within 50 miles of the recreation sites.
   These dollars circulated through the state economy, resulting in $41
   million in employee salaries, wages, and benefits supporting 1,797 Montana
   jobs.

Do you have a special connection to these areas or a question about the
revision process? If so, feel free to contact me at (406) 823-0695 or at
zporter at wildmontana.org.

- *Zack Porter, MWA western Montana field director*

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Montana Wilderness Association
80 S. Warren
Helena, MT 59601
mwa at wildmontana.org

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-- 
*Zack Porter*
Western Montana Field Director
Montana Wilderness Association

C  (406) 823-0695
E  zporter at wildmontana.org
A  118 W. Broadway, Suite 1, Missoula, MT 59802
W  www.wildmontana.org | Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/wildmontana> |
Twitter <http://twitter.com/MWAwildmontana>

* "Working with communities to protect Montana's wilderness heritage, quiet
beauty and outdoor traditions, now and for future generations."*
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