Updates

A recent Missoula Independent article chronicles a miscarriage of justice which may have wider implications for wildlife, clean water and even public safety on public lands nationwide.

Here's the lead of a Missoulian article on the issue and the conference:

It's not an economy that anyone has quite figured out how to measure, but the business of cleaning up environmental messes is booming.

“It's in its infancy, but when we can quantify it, people are going to recognize it for the economic force it is,” Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday during a meeting with the Missoulian's editorial board.

Collaboration seems to be the current “solution” for dealing with natural resource issues. Collaborative groups are forming all around the West to deal with issues ranging from fuels reduction to motorized recreation, and while collaboration is not the answer to all our natural resource dilemmas, Wildlands CPR is helping lead one such effort that holds great promise for ecologically sound restoration in Montana. The group calls itself the Montana Forest Restoration Committee.

As Montana Off-Road Vehicle Coordinator, Adam Rissien is working closely with grassroots partners and allies on three priority travel plans in Montana, as well as assisting folks on other forests where clean water, wildlife habitat, and enjoyment of nature are threatened by out-ofcontrol off-road vehicle use. Adam is working on one plan for the entire Bitterroot National Forest and two travel plans on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, based on mo torized threats to roadless and Wilderness Study Areas and opportunities to expand the organiza tional capacity of our partner groups.

Laurel Hagen is nurturing a fledgling rural con servation movement in small southern Utah towns as Wildlands CPR’s Utah Coordinator, based in Moab.

Despite the lack of larger population centers, Laurel is finding a receptive audience. She suspects that this pushback is a reaction to area county commissions promoting off-road vehicle events and “mega-routes” at the expense of both rural lifestyles. The growing number of residents and visitors who are in the area to backpack, rock climb, mountain bike and pursue other self-propelled activities is another factor.

Thousands of miles of wildland roads are being removed across North America to mitigate their negative impacts. The U.S. Forest Service alone has decommissioned more than 30,000 miles, and yet, research related to road removal is just beginning to catch up with the practice.

When it comes to salmon recovery, decommissioning and removing dams grabs the headlines. But decaying roads are equally damaging to endangered salmon populations and may just get the attention-and funding-they need.

In June, the House of Representatives approved a $65 million expenditure to decommission, repair and maintain Forest Service roads throughout the country in order to protect community water sources and threatened, endangered and sensitive species.

There is a lot of exciting restoration policy work going on in Montana, so this update will focus on Wildlands CPR’s piece of the puzzle. Wildlands CPR recently helped start a collaborative group called Restore Montana, a network of leaders from Montana’s restoration economy that works for community renewal and natural resource restoration. Restore Montana’s “members” to date include conservation groups, restoration businesses, and labor interests. This ad hoc group continues to work closely with Montana Governor Schweitzer’s office to secure more state money for restoration work.

As of January 1, Jason began his new role as Communications Coordinator for Wildlands CPR. By elevating the frequency and effectiveness of how Wildlands CPR communicates with the media, Jason will help us attract broad support for protecting and restoring public lands from the scars left by unmanaged off-road vehicle use and unnecessary roads.

Wildlands CPR Forest Campaign Coordinator Jason Kiely made a presentation to the new national recreation director for the Forest Service, Jim Bedwell, and the agency’s regional recreation directors charged with overseeing travel planning.