Bitterroot Forest Delays Travel Decision in Response to Court Ruling

The Ravalli Republic reported today that the Bitterroot Travel Plan decision has once more been delayed; this time due to a 9th Circuit court ruling pertaining to the Montana Wilderness Study Area (WSA) Act of 1977 and the Gallatin National Forest’s management of the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horns WSA.  This iconic law, shepherded by Sen. Lee Metcalf, requires the Forest Service to maintain the wilderness character as it existed when the law was passed.  

The court found that the Forest Service had "not adequately explained how the 1977 wilderness character of the relevant study area, particularly the opportunities for solitude it offers, has been maintained despite an increase in the volume of motorized and mechanized recreation in the area."

The Bitterroot National Forest manages the Sapphire and Blue Joint WSAs, and the Forest Service now has to figure out what the 1977 levels of use were in order to determine if opportunities for solitude have diminished since then. The Ravalli Republic article quotes Stevensville District Ranger Dan Ritter explaining how difficult this will be:

"We don't know what it was," Ritter said. "No one has data from 1977 on what kind of use was occurring in those areas. ... That's something that we're trying to figure out now."

Even without the data, it’s no mystery that vehicles are damaging the wilderness character, which is why the agency’s preferred alternative protects the entire Sapphire WSA from wheeled vehicles, which includes the Chain-of-Lakes Trail mentioned in the article by Mr. Thompson. This single track trail was turned into an ATV highway, and it didn’t take a court decision for the Forest Service to figure out that such use was not consistent with the WSA Act.  The recent 9th Circuit ruling should make it clear that such protection should also apply to snowmobiles.

Additionally, if the Forest Service fully protects both the Sapphire and Blue Joint WSAs, there would still be over 1,500 miles of road available to drive on in the agency’s preferred alternative; over 1450 miles in the most restrictive alternative. Certainly protecting Wilderness Study Areas is a practical solution and would ensure that Sen. Metcalf’s vision is not lost to the drone of motors.