National Forest lands are vitally important not only to hunters, but to all Montanans and all Americans. They’re essential for wildlife, fish, clean water and ultimately to a high quality of life. That’s why it’s so troubling that the U.S. Forest Service is proposing severe cuts to the trails budget for the agency’s Region 1, which is based in Missoula and covers national forests in Montana, northern Idaho and the Dakotas.
The proposal in a nutshell would base funding for trail maintenance on a formula that considers user days. That might sound logical, but it’s not a good measure of the trail maintenance needs of a region or particular forest. And it would result in a 30 percent reduction in trail funding for Montana’s national forests over the next three years. That’s a drastic cut that would have devastating effects for the condition of our trails, and ultimately for public access to enjoy these lands for hunting, fishing, hiking and numerous other activities.
We simply cannot absorb those kind of cuts. It would not only hurt our access and quality of life, it would also hurt Montana’s huge – and growing – outdoor tourism economy, which currently generates $5.8 billion in economic activity and supports 64,000 jobs.
Everybody understands that we need to make some hard choices in government. Federal money isn’t flowing and we need to look for strategic places to save money. We also need to take a look at the way money is being spent.
But this isn’t an area to make cuts. And this isn’t just about Montanans. People from all over the country and the world come to the Treasure State to enjoy some of the most incredible landscapes on earth. These trails are essential to that.
The Montana Wildlife Federation recently wrote to both of Montana’s U.S. Senators, as well as Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell to express our concerns over the proposed cuts. We called for a look at other options and ultimately for proper funding for our trail system.
Fortunately, both Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines have spoken out against the new formula, and called for the agency to look at changes that doesn’t hit Region 1 so hard. Montana hunters, anglers and recreationists should weigh in as well.
Nick Gevock is the conservation director for the Montana Wildlife Federation.
