Group advocates North Fork wilderness

There's a renewed push for wilderness in the North Fork. Headwaters Montana, a relatively new conservation group has released a plan for land conservation on both sides of the border.

Tucked in that plan is a call for 140,000 acres of designated wilderness in the Thompson-Seton and Mount Hefty areas.

But the plan doesn't end there. It includes a wilderness designation for Glacier's backcountry, expansion of Waterton Lakes National Park to the Canadian Flathead and wildlife management zones west of the Waterton expansion.

"The idea is to display, in map form, a vision to keep the North Fork unimpaired for future generations," said Headwaters director Dave Hadden on Monday.

Hadden said Headwaters began working on the plan after contacting Sen. Max Baucus' office. The office indicated that they were willing to look at proposals. Hadden said no draft legislation has been written yet.

Glacier Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright has been lobbying for a wilderness designation for the Park's backcountry over the past year.

But even that proposal, which has almost no impact on the Park's land management decisions, has garnered little political support.

"Montanans treasure our Crown Jewel of the Continent and while restricting public access might seem appealing at first-glance, I don't see a need or an advantage to add another level of bureaucracy to the land management in the Park. Under the careful management of caretakers like Chas Cartwright and a keen public interest, I am confident that Glacier National Park is in good hands. When it comes to increasing government involvement we'd be good to live by the mantra if ain't broke, don't fix it," said Congressman Denny Rehberg in a prepared statement on Glacier's wilderness plan.

Still, the idea of a wilderness designation for the both Glacier and the North Fork have been around for decades. Draft Flathead National Forest plans have supported a North Fork wilderness.

Hadden said this plan would close no existing roads in the North Fork and it also excludes a wilderness designation for the Ten Lakes area. Headwaters would also like to see oil, gas and mineral leases expired on both sides of the border.

"Very few think of the North Fork as an international river," he said.

Headwaters currently has about 400 members. It was created after a rift formed in the leadership of the Montana Wilderness Association a few years ago. Many locals who worked with MWA for years quit the organization,a nd Headwaters was formed shortly thereafter.

Hadden said he's willing to speak to any organization who would like to hear more about Headwaters proposals.

You can contact him directly at 837-0783 or via e-mail at info@headwatersmontana.org