Grizzly Bear 399 taken by NPS in 2023.

We will leave the picture of Grizzly Bear 399 up at the moment to honor her memory, but her death is unfortunately indicative of the status of wildlife in our country. And the fear that many citizens of this Nation possess after the recent election is real and is so for good reason.

Many people are apprehensive about what is to come in terms of threats to our natural world, our forests, our wildlife, and our climate. Those fears are real, but they are not insurmountable. But having said that, this is no time for people to sit on the sidelines, to give up, to become complacent to what we see before us.

Everyone needs to do a little bit more, become a little more involved, and to become a lot more informed over the next four years. Already we have hints as to what is to come. 

Legislation that is in Congress right now will become more likely to pass such as Fix the Forest Act. The NOGA amendment will be put on hold until the next administration comes into office, hopefully one more in favor of our environment. To move ahead now will almost certainly doom its future, possibly forever, due to the Congressional Review Act.

Another real threat is the ongoing lawsuit brought by the state of Utah to sue the Federal Government over the ownership of federal public lands. This effort will undoubtedly get more attention and support by conservative western states, counties, and NGOs to sell or transfer federal land over to the states. The incoming Administration will undoubtedly be in support of such action.

Folks, we cannot let up. There are even threats that the incoming administration will try and invoke oil and gas drilling on federal lands such as National Parks and Monuments, National Wildlife Refuges, and the list goes on and on.

We certainly urge all members and new members to come together, to do their part, to write your Congressmen and women, state officials, etc, etc, - whenever you are asked to do so. We also have the 2025 state legislature to begin their work in January of 2025. Please, we urge one and all to step forward to help protect wildlife. It is all of our responsibility. GWA is only as strong as our membership is active. 

We have been highlighting forest health in our more recent newsletters, but an issue which has been unresolved for decades, has gained more attention as of late and deservedly so. It is that concerning the future of the Gallatin Range. 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