1. United States
2. Mont.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose S.3527, the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act, which would strip wilderness protections from three remote Montana landscapes totaling over 100,000 acres. This bill represents a fundamental betrayal of Montana's conservation heritage and the will of Montana voters. Senator Daines claims he is resolving decades of bureaucratic delay, but the real issue is that federal agencies under the Trump administration have openly stated they oppose any new wilderness designations. Chris French from the Forest Service testified that the administration does not support creating new wildernesses, while BLM official John Raby emphasized prioritizing domestic mineral production over conservation. These are political decisions, not scientific assessments of wilderness quality. The three areas targeted by S.3527 are the Middle Fork Judith WSA (81,000 acres in Lewis and Clark National Forest), Hoodoo Mountain WSA (11,500 acres), and Wales Creek WSA (11,500 acres). These lands have been managed with wilderness-style protections since 1977 and 2000 respectively. Downgrading them would open the door to logging, motorized access, and mineral extraction in areas that have remained wild for nearly half a century. A 2024 statewide survey found that 75 percent of Montana voters want to continue protection for Wilderness Study Areas. Barb Cestero of The Wilderness Society called this bill "deeply flawed" and "the kind of top-down, one-size-fits-all approach Montanans have consistently rejected." I agree completely. Senator Daines claims these lands would still be protected by the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act. However, the Trump administration has actively worked to weaken all of these laws to expedite energy and timber development. These protections are hollow promises. Montana's wilderness is not a bureaucratic problem to be solved. It is our heritage and our future. I urge you to oppose S.3527 and protect these irreplaceable public lands for future generations.