Public Deserves Say On Snowmobile Decision

Public Deserves Say On Snowmobile Decision

Contact: Adam Rissien, Wildlands CPR, 543-9551
John Grove, Friends of the Bitterroot, 777-2423
Matthew Bishop, Western Environmental Law Center,
406-324-8011

Missoula – The public deserves a chance to weigh in on a decision allowing snowmobiling in a wilderness study area on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, say two conservation groups filing suit over the proposal.

Two conservation groups, Wildlands CPR and Friends of the Bitterroot, said the agency’s plan for West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area (WSA) cut out the public and ignores potential conflicts with both people and wildlife. The West Pioneers are near Wisdom and Wise River.

“Our national forests and our wildlife belong to everyone and we all deserve a say in how those lands are managed,” said Adam Rissien of Wildlands CPR. “Transparency and openness are hallmarks of good decisions.”

The lawsuit focuses on the re-issuance of a controversial permit that authorizes a snowmobile club to groom approximately 158 miles of trails in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest’s Pioneer Mountains, which includes nearly 95 miles in the West Pioneer WSA. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Supervisor signed the decision in January 2008, but excluded it from public notice, comment, and environmental review. The decision lasts for five years.

The West Pioneer Range contains crucial habitat for wolverine, a candidate for the Endangered Species List. From 2002-2005, the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station studied wolverines in the area, concluding that approximately 12 of them inhabit this small island habitat and that the population could completely disappear from the area. The Pioneer Range is also home to mountain goats, which have been in decline in traditional places throughout Montana.

Besides addressing the lack of analysis and opportunity for public comment, the lawsuit also seeks a determination as to whether or not snowmobiling is reducing the West Pioneer’s wilderness character as established in the 1977 Montana Wilderness Study Act.

“While preserving existing uses like snowmobiling, the act directs that such activities do not degrade the area’s wilderness character, and potential for inclusion into the Wilderness Preservation System,” explained attorney Matthew Bishop with the Western Environmental Law Center; the firm representing the case.

“In 1976 the late Senator Lee Metcalf ushered the Montana Wilderness Study Areas Act into law so that the option of future Wilderness designation would remain viable in areas like the West Pioneers.  We have been fighting ever since to preserve the existing wilderness character of these few remaining wild places so that they might one day be included in the Wilderness Preservation System.  Today that struggle continues."  John Grove, FOB Board Member and retired USFS Ranger.