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Bill to protect public lands, including Mission Mountains

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News from the office of Senator Tester

U.S. Senate — To protect Montana’s public lands and strengthen our outdoor economy, U.S. Senator Jon Tester reintroduced his landmark Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act in the Senate.

A made-in-Montana bill, the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act will create jobs, protect thousands of acres of public land, and ensure future generations can access the world-class outdoor recreational opportunities available in the Blackfoot River watershed.

“The Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act is the result of more than a decade of collaboration among the folks who live and work on this breathtaking landscape, and who want to ensure that it’s managed in a way that works for everyone,” Tester said. “This bill is a shining example of what can happen when folks come together to build commonsense legislation from the ground up, and it will help protect some of our most treasured public lands, create jobs, strengthen our economy, and secure Montana’s outdoor heritage for our kids and our grandkids.”

The result of a collective effort between ranchers, recreationists, loggers, mountain bikers, and business owners, Tester’s BCSA is a multi-use proposal that would protect thousands of acres of public land, ensure future generations can access outdoor recreational opportunities, and strengthen Montana’s outdoor economy in the Blackfoot River Watershed.

Specifically, the bill would protect 79,060 acres of wildlife habitat in the Bob Marshall, Mission Mountains, and Scapegoat Wilderness Areas, open 2,013 acres of currently closed land to snowmobiling, and protect 3,835 acres for mountain biking and hiking. It would also require the Forest Service to prioritize its review of future recreational trail proposals from the collaborative group, and to conduct a forest health assessment that will help identify new timber projects on the landscape.

 

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