This month's Constant Contact newsletter highlighted forest health. Events once again have seemed to spiral out of control,  something they seem to do quite often. The Gallatin Forest Partnership is making a play to undercut the existing Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo-Horn Wilderness Study Area (HPBH WSA) by reducing the size of wilderness and taking much of the existing prime wildlife habitat out of protection. See how you can help.

We Need Help in Keeping the Gallatin Range Wild as in True Wilderness!

We are asking all to help participtate in a letter writing campaign to write letters to the Bozeman Chronicle Opinion Page and to Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester urging them to support the minimal standard of wilderness, the HPBH WSA. The Gallatin Forest Partnership (GFP) is trying to undermine the existing HPBH WSA by minimizing the size and designating land uses toward recreation rather than leaving the existing land classification as wilderness. Make no mistake, the HPBH WSA has all the characteristics of true wilderness. In fact, there are an estimated 270,000 acres of potential wilderness lands within the Gallatin Range, but the GFP is only recognizing 102,000; leaving the remainder of landscape for potential recreation. This is exactly the opposite of what is needed.

Wildlife within the Gallatin Range are getting squeezed out from all of the increased recreation and visitation use. It is time, once again, to make our wishes known. Here are the links to Montana's Senator's web page and the Bozeman Chronicle to send a letter to the editor.

Bozeman Chronicle:

BDC - Letter to the Editor

Steve Daines:

https://www.daines.senate.gov/services/email-steve/ 

Senator Jon Tester:

https://www.tester.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/

Here are some bullet points to include as well.

Here is where the Gallatin Forest Partnership (GFP) wilderness proposal falls short compared to the current Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo-Horn Wilderness Study Area (HPBH WSA).

• It has been determined that the GFP wilderness proposal will contain 102,000 acres compared to the current 155,000 acres.
• There is an estimated 270,000 acres that could be designated within the Gallatin Range.
• The GFP proposal leaves out two critical areas of the current HPBH WSA.

1. Buffalo Horn Porcupine region and the West Pine.
2. These two areas are designated as “Wildlife Management Areas” of which there has not been a previous designation that has been time-tested and there is no legal precedent.  
3. Even though they say they limit recreational use, there are no assurances the Forest Service will do so or that they can be enforced. 
4. The Buffalo Horn Porcupine region is prime habitat for elk and many other species such as grizzly bear, wolves, bighorn sheep and wolverine, species that do well with some seclusion.
5. West Pine region offers a corridor, a very important corridor for wildlife to migrate to the north from the Gallatin/Yellowstone region of the GYE. To open this area up to the possibility of mechanized or motorized recreation could all but completely diminish the potential of wildlife, making that connection to the north via this well documented and scientific route.

• At the northern most part of the Gallatin Range, the GFP have designated this area as the “Hyalite Watershed Protection and Recreation Area”. This designation would essentially make recreation the primary use for visitors, thereby once again, displacing wildlife and leaving very little chance for wildlife to safely inhabit this landscape.
• The Gallatin Crest is run amok with those willing to exploit the landscape for personal enjoyment, without giving thought to the wildlife that inhabits the area. Wildlife needs more than just “rock and ice” landscapes for existence. The best wildlife habitat is found at the mid and lower elevations, of which many of those elevations have been removed away from the HPBH WSA. 

GWA has joined forces with the Buffalo Field Campaign to support wildlife infrastructure at the Madison River Crossing at U.S. Hwy 191 south of West Yellowstone. The number of wildlife deaths and injury from wildlife/vehicle collisions (WVC)s has increased greatly over recent years. Wildlife are on the move and the crossing of mobile wildlife and vehicle traffic are becoming more and more problematic at this natural wildlife corridor, threatening the lives and property of our society in the process.

We're trying to judge and gain support from the local residents and the general public of this project, search out the science, and gain the necessary financing. We need all hands on deck as we work with fellow NGOs in the region trying to make progress in the mitigation of WVCs.

Please take this brief poll by either using the QR code or the link below and answer the few questions on this potential and future project. More information on our coalition, a coalition entitled the West Yellowstone Wildlife Crossing Coalition, can be found here.

Here is the link if you prefer. 

bit.ly/WildlifeCrossingSurvey