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Guiding association writes to Washington, D.C.

by Mac Minard
| March 14, 2014 11:40 AM

The following two letters were sent by Mac Minard, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guide Association, to Sen. John Walsh and Rep. Steve Daines regarding wilderness and forestry issues.

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Dear Sen. John Walsh:

Montana Outfitters and Guides Association is the oldest and largest representative of the Outfitting industry in Montana. We were formed to bring voice to important conservation and land management issues affecting the backcountry of Montana.

As a vital part of the tourism economy in Montana, we see the preservation and protection of critical landscapes and existing uses as extremely important.

To that end, I am delighted to report to you that the MOGA recently voted unanimously to support the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act of 2013.

As it stands now, there is no permanent plan to protect the unique character of the non-wilderness Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands that are the heart and soul of the Rocky Mountain Front.

MOGA and its more than 200 outfitter businesses believe this bill affords necessary conservation protections to preserve the integrity and character of the Rocky Mountain Front fish and wildlife populations and their sustaining habitats.

We realize, as many other Montanans do, that wilderness and backcountry landscapes are the cornerstones of a sustainable tourism economy. These lands help support the jobs that we in the outfitting industry provide in every corner of Montana.

In 2009, it was reported that travel expenditures by nonresident visitors to Montana totaled more than $2.3 billon, creating thousands of jobs and contributing significantly through state and local taxes and basic take home pay. Outfitting is known to bring in $167 million a year to Montana’s economy and creates thousands of full and part-time jobs.

In supporting this endorsement, Dusty Crary, a MOGA board member and Choteau-based outfitter, said, “MOGA’s endorsement of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act is a welcome addition to a very long and diverse list of supporters. Protecting the integrity of this incredible landscape while maintaining existing uses is a win-win for all Montanans.”

Under the bill, recreational and agricultural uses that exist today, including grazing and outfitting, will continue to be enjoyed by future generations. The bill prioritizes noxious weed control and limits new road building while preserving motorized recreation and public access for hunting, biking, forest thinning and grazing.

We support the proposed Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act as a common-sense approach that will help keep the Front the way it is for our kids and grandkids. It also provides a degree of certainty for our businesses and the tradition of wilderness outfitting vital to the sustainable tourism economy of Montana.

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Dear Rep. Steve Daines:

The Montana Outfitters and Guides Association supports the tenants found in H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, and greatly appreciates your work to remove barriers to effective and active management of our National Forest lands.

As outfitters, we have, for generations, served as stewards of our national treasures, our public lands, by serving clients. As people who make a living from the land, we support the sustainable use and sound management of our natural resources.

But over many generations of service, we have witnessed a disturbing decline in the vitality of the forest lands. Forests have become unnaturally dense and overstocked. Stress due to disease and beetle infestations are taking a toll on forest health as well.

Places we love to share with our family and places where our clients can witness the unmatched wild beauty of Montana continue to be vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire due to the declining health of our forests. Yet the Forest Service has been hamstrung by regulatory red tape and relentless litigation to the point that it is incapable of active management.

As you know, outfitting services, and the outdoor tourism industry as a whole, benefit from the sound, sustainable management of our national lands. In our view, to oppose the principles of H.R. 1526 is to say that the current management system is working. The status quo is unacceptable, and we believe the reforms you have brought forward through H.R. 1526 will enhance Montana’s economy and provide much needed improvements to forest management in a sustainable and thoughtful manner.

Time and time again, we see firsthand the effects of common litigants suing the Forest Service and holding up worthwhile forest treatments for years. We understand the National Environmental Policy Act analysis process often prevents the Forest Service from executing important forest treatments that benefit critical habitats, improve forest health, and provide needed maintenance for recreation activities in a timely manner. As Montanans and as Americans, we are weary of this tactic and want it stopped.

We support provisions of H.R. 1526 that provides crucial protection against habitual litigation by requiring plaintiffs to place a bond prior to filing suit to stop a timber project and that prohibit injunctions that are based on non-substantive allegations, while allowing projects to move forward as the merits of the case continue to be examined. These reforms are long overdue.

It is possible that guiding and outfitting were Montana’s first industry, dating back to the days of Lewis and Clark. Since that time, we have had an important connection with the clients we serve and the natural wonders we share with them.

As an industry, our very livelihood depends on healthy, vibrant landscapes. Our concerns are deeper than that, however — by providing our services to people who otherwise do not have the knowledge or means to access and enjoy their outdoors heritage, we help to maintain a broad base of support for sound and sustainable management of our public lands.

We hope you find this endorsement helpful and we thank you for your continued leadership on critical issues such as these.