SUMMER 2018

DEFENDING OURWILDERNESS LEGACY

John Lam

bing

AT THE CORE OF OUR MISSION

Late last year, when Senator Steve Daines introduced legislation that would strip protection from five wilderness study areas (WSAs)comprising nearly a half-million acres of our wildest public lands,Montana Wilderness Association jumped into action. After all, this billstrikes at the core of our mission. If it were to pass, it would result inthe single biggest rollback of protected land in Montana history,

A few months later, Congressman Greg Gianforte nearly doubled the size of the threat with his own legislation – one bill mirroring Sen. Daines’ and another targeting an additional 24 WSAs across thestate comprising more than 300,000 acres, including the CentennialMountains in southwest Montana, the Terry Badlands in the east, and Bitter Creek in the northeast.

Thanks to your unwavering support of our mission, MWA has risen to the challenge and is conducting a campaign commensurate to the threat this legislation poses to 800,000 acres of wildlands that wedepend on for clean water, for healthy fish and wildlife populations,and for our outdoor way of life. We’ve conducted this campaign in partnership with Our Land, Our Legacy – a group of Montanans who know and cherish the targeted WSAs and are dedicated to protecting them.

Since Sen. Daines introduced his WSA bill, more than 2,500 of you have signed on to anopen letter (at ourlandourlegacy.org) calling on Montana’s Congressional delegation totake a balanced, bipartisan, and inclusive approach to resolving the fate of our WSAs,one that respects the diversity of interests that have a stake in these places. More than1,700 of you have also called Sen. Daines’ and Rep. Gianforte’s offices in opposition totheir legislation. And hundreds of you have also let your opposition be known in newsarticles, in newspaper opinion pages, and across social media, making it abundantlyclear that Montanans overwhelmingly reject this legislation.

Your response even compelled Governor Steve Bullock to take action. In April he sentSen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte a letter saying that he was “troubled by the lack of publicengagement” that went into the bills, stating “the one-size-fits-all approach in yourproposals fails to reflect the diversity of our citizens governing future management ofthese lands.”

Thanks to your fearless defense of our most prized public lands, we have turned the tideon Sen. Daines’ and Rep. Gianforte’s legislation, as indicated in the 2018 University ofMontana Public Lands Survey, which showed that 81 percent of Montanans oppose thislegislation and a scant 11 percent support it.

It’s no secret that we’re in the midst of one of the worst attacks our public lands haveever faced. With members like you, we’re confident that we can weather the attack andcome out the other side of it stronger than ever before.

As always, thank you for standing up for our public lands and wild places.

Montana Wilderness Association works with communities to protect Montana’s wilderness heritage, quiet beauty, andoutdoor traditions, now and for future generations.

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wildmontana.org

Wild Montana is a publication of Montana Wilderness Association. Excerpts may be reprinted with permission. Design and layout: Real World Design. Wild Montana is printed on recycled paper.

www.facebook.com/wildmontana

DEFENDING OUR WILDERNESS LEGACY 4MWA fights back against biggest rollback of protected public land in state history.

TOWARD A WILDER FUTURE IN 8THE HELENA LEWIS & CLARK Wildlands across a huge swath of the state aregetting the consideration they deserve.

UPDATES FROM THE FIELD 12The latest on our work standing up for public lands and wild places

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On the cover: Terry BadlandsWSA

FROM THE PRES IDENT AND EXECUT IVE D I RECTOR

M O N T A N A

Ben Gabriel, executive director

HELENA OFFICE

80 S. WarrenHelena, MT 59601mwa@wildmontana.org406-443-7350

Ben Gabriel, Ext. 104Executive Directorbgabriel@wildmontana.org

Gabriel FurshongDeputy Director406-461-6897gfurshong@wildmontana.org

John Gatchell, Ext. 106Senior Conservation Advisorjgatchell@wildmontana.org

Denny Lester, Ext. 105IT Managerdlester@wildmontana.org

Laura Parr, Ext. 110Business Managerlparr@wildmontana.org

Carl Deitchman, 406-422-3008Finance Directorcdeitchman@wildmontana.org

Heather Greene, Ext. 102Development Directorhgreene@wildmontana.org

Bob Ronan, Ext. 101Database Managerrronan@wildmontana.org

Mike Rooney, Ext. 103 Development Coordinator mrooney@wildmontana.org

Alex Blackmer, Ext. 112Communications Coordinatorablackmer@wildmontana.org

Courtney Wantink, Ext. 111Executive Assistantcwantink@wildmontana.org

OFFICERS

Mark Hanson,MissoulaPresident

Addrien Marx, Seeley LakePresident Elect

Steve Holland, BozemanTreasurer

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Wayne Gardella, HelenaBarb Harris, HelenaJohn Larson, KalispellLisa Lenard, Bozeman

Charlie O’Leary, ButteDebo Powers, PolebridgePatti Steinmuller, Bozeman

CHAPTERS

Eastern Wildlands Chapter2822 3rd Avenue N, Suite 204Billings, MT 59101mwaewc@wildmontana.org

Flathead-Kootenai Chapter750 2nd St. W, Suite AWhitefish, MT 59937mwafkc@wildmontana.org

Southwest WildlandsChapter (Butte-Dillon)P.O. Box 142, Butte 59703mwaswc@wildmontana.org

Island Range Chapter1400 1st Ave. N.Great Falls, MT 59401mwairc@wildmontana.org

Madison-Gallatin Chapter105 West Main St., Suite 2BBozeman, MT 59715mwamgc@wildmontana.org

Shining Mountains Chapter118 W. Broadway, Suite 1Missoula, MT 59802mwasmc@wildmontana.org

Wild Divide Chapter80 S. WarrenHelena, MT 59601mwawdc@wildmontana.org

FIELD OFFICES

BILLINGS FIELD OFFICEAubrey BertramEastern MT Field Director2822 3rd Avenue N. Suite 204Billings, MT 59101303-956-5263abertram@wildmontana.org

BOZEMAN FIELD OFFICE105 West Main St., Suite 2BBozeman, MT 59715

John ToddConservation Director406-544-3397jtodd@wildmontana.org

Ted BrewerCommunications Director406-461-1427tbrewer@wildmontana.org

Noah MarionPublic Lands Field Organizer303-478-3360 nmarion@wildmontana.org

Emily ClevelandSouthwest Montana FieldDirector303-718-2144ecleveland@wildmontana.org

CONRAD FIELD OFFICECasey PerkinsRocky Mountain Front Field Director

253 Dairy Rd. Conrad, MT 59425406-544-1093cperkins@wildmontana.org

GREAT FALLS FIELD OFFICE1400 1st Ave. N.Great Falls, MT 59401

Mark Good Central MT Field Director406-453-9434mgood@wildmontana.org

Zach AngsteadPublic Lands Field Organizer406-899-9955zangstead@wildmontana.org

MISSOULA FIELD OFFICE118 W. Broadway, Suite 1Missoula, MT 59802

Kassia RandzioDevelopment Manager406-830-6035krandzio@wildmontana.org

Kayje BookerState Policy Director406-830-7926kbooker@wildmontana.org

Anson NygaardPublic Lands Field Organizer435-647-6929anygaard@wildmontana.org

Jacob FosterPublic Lands Field Organizer406-370-4450jfoster@wildmontana.org

WHITEFISH FIELD OFFICE565 Spokane AveWhitefish, MT 59937406-284-1747

Amy RobinsonNorthwest MT Field Directorarobinson@wildmontana.org

Grete Gansauer Northwest MT Field Coordinator ggansauer@wildmontana.org

Matt BowserStewardship Directormbowser@wildmontana.org

Sonny MazzulloStewardship Coordinatorsmazzullo@wildmontana.org

Mark Hanson,council president

Montana Wilderness Association is a proud member of Montana Shares and sends a huge thanks to everyone who contributes to MWA through workplace giving. Montana Shares provides MWA with a reliable and consistent source of income from participants inworkplace giving campaigns.

Montana Shares, PO Box 883, Helena, MT 59624 800-823-2625 • shares@montanashares.org • www.montanashares.org

4 W I L D MON TANA SUMMER 2 0 1 8 5

continued

COVER STORY

HOW MWA IS RALLYING MONTANANS AGAINSTLEGISLATION THAT COULD RESULT IN THE SINGLEBIGGEST ROLLBACK OF PROTECTED PUBLIC LAND IN STATE HISTORY

ast December, shortly before the holidays, Sen. Daines dropped

a bombshell on Montana. Heintroduced legislation that wouldstrip protection from the BigSnowies, Middle Fork Judith, WestPioneers, Sapphire, and Blue JointWilderness Study Areas (WSAs) –nearly a half million acres ofMontana’s wildest public lands. And he did so without first holding a single public meeting or providingany opportunity for Montanans tohave input on his proposals.

Then in March, Congressman GregGianforte followed suit with his own bills and his own disregard forpublic input. One bill mirrored Sen. Daines’, targeting the samefive WSAs managed by the ForestService. The other bill went after anadditional 24 WSAs, all managed bythe Bureau of Land Management.They include the CentennialMountains in southwest Montana,the Terry Badlands in the east, BitterCreek in the northeast, and six WSAs within the Upper MissouriRiver Breaks National Monument.

Among these 24, we discovered thatthe BLM had found portions of eightof them – totaling over 100,000 acres– to be suitable for Wildernessprotection, despite Rep. Gianforte’sclaim that none of them had beenfound suitable.

Daines and Gianforte claim they areacting on the recommendations theBLM and the Forest Service havemade, but they conveniently ignorethe 1 million acres these agencieshave proposed for wildernessdesignation.

In all, these bills would stripprotection from more than 800,000acres of public lands that provideour communities with clean drinking

water, that allow for our fish andwildlife populations to thrive, andthat enable Montanans to maintainour way of life and our $7 billionoutdoor recreation economy.

These bills would open these areasto mining, oil and gas leasing, and motorized use for decades. These bills strike at the heart of whatmakes Montana so exceptional.

Without blinking, MWA rose to theoccasion and launched a campaignto ensure these bills will fail. Wequickly helped form Our Land, Our Legacy – a diverse group ofMontanans from across the state

DEFENDING OUR WILDERNESS

Bitter Creek Wilderness Study Area

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By Casey Perkins

6 W I L D MON TANA

who each has a special relationshipwith one or more of the targetedWSAs. The group includes the likesof Dave Byerly, a Lewistown citycommissioner who leads MWAWilderness Walks in the Big Snowies;Karen Aspevig-Stevenson, a MilesCity resident who leads WildernessWalks in the Terry Badlands; KathyHundley, a substitute school teacherin Darby who horseback rides in theSapphires and Blue Joint; and ChrisMarchion, a Montana Outdoor Hall

of Famer wholives inAnacondaand has spentnumerous ofseasonshunting in theSapphires.

Over the last several months, manyother Montanans have come aboardand stood up for WSAs in one wayor another. Here’s a snapshot ofhow Montanans have voiced theiropposition to Sen. Daines’ and Rep. Gianforte’s legislation sinceDecember:

• More than 2,600 signers of Our Land, Our Legacy letter, callingfor a balanced, bipartisan approachto WSAs• 1,000 calls made to Sen. Daines’office • 800 calls made to Rep. Gianforte’s office• More than 100 op-eds and 100 letters-to-the-editor published in Montana newspapers• 40 people, mostly in easternMontana, showing up to speakdirectly to Rep. Gianforte’s staffduring mobile office hours

Hundreds of Montanans have alsoshown up and stood up at a handfulof county commission meetings toexpress their opposition to the WSAlegislation. They’ve persuadedcommissions and councils –including Helena, Butte-Silver Bow,Anaconda-Deerlodge, and others –to oppose the legislation in letters toboth Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianfortethat call for an open, bipartisan, andinclusive approach to resolving thefate of WSAs.

This outpouring of oppositioncompelled Montana Governor Steve Bullock to send a letter to Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte inApril requesting they change theirapproach to WSAs.

“I am particularly troubled by thelack of public engagement used toformulate these proposals,” Gov.Bullocks writes in regards to Sen.Daines’ and Rep. Gianforte’slegislation. “All Montanans valuetheir public lands and have a stake intheir future management. No matterhow hard fought, our state’s citizensvalue the ability to gather around thetable and advance solutions born ofcompromise and of collaboration.”

We learned just how much publicopinion was lined up against theWSA legislation in May, when theUniversity of Montana released itsbipartisan 2018 Public Lands Survey,revealing that 81 percent ofMontanans oppose Sen. Daines’ andRep. Gianforte’s legislation. A scant11 percent of Montanans support it.Opposition included voters fromacross the political spectrum,revealing that Montanans are united

against this legislation and in favor of protecting our WSAs.

In spite of this overwhelmingopposition, Sen. Daines and Rep.Gianforte have pressed on with theirlegislation. In February, Sen. Daines’brought his bill before the SenateEnergy and Natural ResourcesCommittee for a hearing. In June, Rep.Gianforte brought his bills before theHouse Natural Resources Committeefor a hearing. Unless abandoned, thebills will next move on to a mark-upin the same committees. No voteshave yet been taken on them.

As long as these bills remain alive,MWA will fight with everything wehave to ensure they don’t passCongress.

– Casey Perkins, MWA RockyMountain Front field director

West Pioneers Wilderness Sudy Area

“Our state’s citizens value the ability to advance solutions born of compromise and of collaboration.”–Governor Steve Bullock

Sally Carlson

Bob

Ambros

e

Senator Daines and Congressman Gianforte want to strip protection from 29 wilderness study areascomprising 800,000 acres of our wildest public lands. We need YOU to help us stop this from happening! Please consider making an additional donation today to help us fend off this legislation, which couldresult in the single biggest rollback of protected land in the history of our state.

PLEASE GIVE TODAY. wildmontana.org/donate

Sapphire Mountains Wilderness Sudy Area

MONTANA’S WILDERNESS LEGACY IS UNDER ATTACK

8 W I L D MON TANA SUMMER 2 0 1 8 9

Earlier this summer, the ForestService released its latest draft of the Helena-Lewis and ClarkNational Forest plan, the finalversion of which will determine how2.8 million acres of public landacross a huge swath of Montana,from the Continental Divide to theBig Snowies, will be managed forthe next 30-odd years.

MWA members andsupporters have sent in hundreds ofcomments advocating

for the protection of wildlands withinthe Forest, and the draft plan showsthat the Forest Service is takingthose comments to heart.

Comments on this draft are dueSeptember 6. For more information,contact Casey Perkins atcperkins@wildmontana.org.

Here are some of the landscapeswe’re encouraging the ForestService to recommend forWilderness or otherwise protectin the final plan.

TOWARDS A WILDER FUTURE IN THE HELENA-LEWIS AND CLARKThanks to you, wildlands across a huge swath of the state are getting the consideration they deserve.

SOUTH BIG BELTS ROADLESS AREASThe Camas Creek andBaldy/Edith roadless areas arethe wildest unprotected areas in the Big Belts. These areasdeserve to be recommended forWilderness in the final plan.

BADGER-TWO MEDICINE(Not pictured)The unique wildlands and cultural values of the Badgerdeserve standards and guidelines that protect theseresources and provide moreopportunity for Blackfeet input into future decisions.

MIDDLE FORKJUDITHThe non-motorizedportion of thisthreatened wildernessstudy area deserves tobe recommended forWilderness. We areasking the ForestService to choose the alternative thatprotects the placeCharlie Russell called a “hunter’s paradise” in the final plan.

John

Gatch

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Mark Goo

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10 W I L D MON TANA SUMMER 2 0 1 8 11

NEVADA MOUNTAINThis stretch of the wildContinental Dividebetween Lincoln andHelena is recommendedfor Wilderness in threealternatives and issupported by theMontana High DivideTrails Partnership.

BIG SNOWIESThree out of fivealternatives in theplan recommend95,299 acres of theBig Snowy Mountainsfor Wilderness,including the entireBig SnowiesWilderness StudyArea. We couldn’tbe happier.

SCAPEGOAT WILDERNESSADDITIONSThree areas bordering theScapegoat Wilderness –Arrastra Creek, RedMountain, and Silverking –merit the protections of aWilderness recommendation.They also have diversesupport from the localcollaborative working group.

DEEP CREEK(Not pictured)This wild corner of theLittle Belt Mountainsborders the legendarySmith River and isrecommended forWilderness in threealternatives.

TOWARDS A WILDER FUTURE IN THE HELENA-LEWIS AND CLARK

Jesse Va

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Nikki Yan

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Jorge Ram

irez

S UMMER 2 0 1 8 13

A BIG WIN IN THE BITTERROOT

Last year, MWA teamed up with Earthjustice and built a coalition of so-called “defendantintervenors” to come to the aid of the Bitterroot National Forest after it was sued by off-road vehicle and mountain bike interest groups for its 2016 Travel Management Plan.The plan does a wonderful job of protecting the wilderness character of the Blue Joint and Sapphire Wilderness Study Areas as well as proposed additions to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. We’re happy to announce that on June 29, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen upheld the Bitterroot National Forest’s travel plan. Judge Christensen sided with the US Forest Service and the coalition of intervenors on every substantive issue, creating excellent legal precedent for future Forest Serviceplanning processes. This ruling will encourage more agency officials to take necessarysteps to close wild areas to motorized and mechanized uses and protect the wildernesscharacter. A big win for wild Montana!

– Zack Porter, former western Montana field director

SOLIDARITY IN THE SNOWCREST

In late June, MWA volunteers gathered in the Snowcrest Mountains. The unusually rainyspring produced lush wildflowers and greenery rarely seen so far into the summer, but the verdant scenery belied a surge of noxious weeds. Our crew set out to map and pullhoundstongue, a particularly tenacious weed that is toxic to livestock and wildlife. We spent two days on the Gilbert Trail on the flank of the Snowcrest Mountains, anarea home to diverse wildlife and the headwaters of the Ruby River. From the spine of theSnowcrests, the Rubies, Gravellies, Centennials, Madisons, and Beaverheads line thehorizon. Hardly any development comes into view. But the upper Ruby is more than just a place for wildlife, solitude, and clean water.Some of Montana’s oldest working ranches have relied on grazing allotments in theSnowcrest and surrounding public lands for generations. Public land grazing has allowedthese ranching operations to survive, and in so doing, protected the open space andwildlife habitat in the valley bottoms. Several years ago, ranchers and conservationists recognized that we all care aboutwilderness heritage, quiet landscapes, and an outdoor way of life, and that by working

together, we could support each otherin preserving what we love aboutMontana. Since then, the group hassupported private land conservationprograms in the Farm Bill, opposed the removal of WSA protections, andworked towards shared long-termconservation goals in the Ruby Valley. The weed project on the

Gilbert Trail was a way for MWA todemonstrate our commitment tomaintaining wilderness values in theSnowcrests and solidarity with ourpartners in stewarding the Ruby. Many thanks to our volunteers, whosetime and energy fuel this importantwork and strengthen our voice forconservation.

– Emily Cleveland, southwest Montana field director

TIME TO SPEAK UP FOR THE WILD HEART OF MONTANA

The wild heart of Montana lies east of Lewistown, where the Musselshell River sweepsnorth to meet the Missouri, etching oxbow bends and craggy river breaks deep into the wide-open prairie. Distant mountain ranges are dwarfed by the vastness of this wide-open countrywhere roads are few, people are fewer, and wildlife and solitude reign. This is Musselshell breaks country. These enormous tracts of public land, managed by the Bureau of Land Management’sLewistown Field Office, comprise one of North America’s last remaining intact large-scaleGreat Plains ecosystems. Truthfully, Montana has what most western states lost long ago:hundreds of thousands of acres of unplowed and undeveloped prairie, stretching from the UL Bend to Arrow Creek and the Missouri River Breaks. Right now, the BLM is in the process of deciding how these nearly 650,000 acres of wild public lands should be managed for the next several decades. The agency has alreadyidentified nearly 200,000 acres of its planning area as having wilderness characteristics, and now we’re working to convince the BLM to manage these areas to preserve thosewilderness qualities. At the beginning of June, I journeyed to some of these awesomely remote places with acamera crew, two conservation professionals, and two students of environmental studies tocapture the beauty of Musselshell breaks country on film. Andrhea Massey, Gabriel Aponte,Katy Anderson, and Rob Beattie have all spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours outside inMontana’s prairies and rivers, researching the birds, fish, turtles, grasses, forbs, and flowersthat thrive in Montana’s wild grasslands. They shared their love and passion for this countryin three short videos, which you can view now at wildmontana.org/musselshellcountry. The wild future of Musselshell breaks country isn’t guaranteed, though. We need you to tell the BLM how vital it is to manage these places for their wild character. Theagency is now accepting public comments on its draft resource management plan. You can learn more about this special place and how to comment atwildmontana.org/musselshellcountry. You can submit your comments directly to the BLM by sending an email to DanBrunkhorst, BLM project manager, at blm_mt_lewistown_rmp@blm.gov You can also snail mail your comments to Dan at 920 NE Main St. Lewistown, MT 59457. If you have any questions about the process, please contact me atabertram@wildmontana.org, or Mark Good, central Montana field director, atmgood@wildmotana.org.

– Aubrey Bertram, eastern Montana field director

UPDATES FROM THE F IELD

Aub

rey Bertram

David Stout

12 W I L D MON TANA

Above:Musselshellbreaks

MWA volunteersafter a successfulweed pull in theSnowcrests

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MEMBERS MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLEThanks to the new members who joined Montana Wilderness Association from January 25 to August 6, 2018.

14 W I L D MON TANA

Absaroka Energy LLCAlpacka Raft LLCAnderson ZurmuehlenBlackfoot River Brewing CompanyClearwater Montana Properties, IncCounter Assault

Crazy Creek ProductsDA Davidson & CoDropstone Outfitting, LLCEnterprise First Interstate BankGood Food StoreGSI OutdoorsHeadhunters Fly Shop

Hurraw! Lip BalmHydro FlaskKUHLMontana State ParksMystery Ranch, LTDOboz FootwearOpportunity Bank of MontanaPatagonia

PayneWest InsurancePolebridge MercantileReal World DesignREI Co-OpRogue Hoe DistributingSolberg Manufacturing

Sweetwater Travel CompanyThe Base CampThe Conservation AllianceThe Trail HeadThirsty Lake SolarTimber TrailsTrail 103.3

Treeline Coffee RoastersUniversal VisionValley Bank of HelenaValley Veterinary HospitalYellowstone Guidelines YETI

EASTERNWILDLANDSCHAPTERBrent BaduraAdam & Marcy BaumgartnerWendy BeckfordMaria BelsantiAdrianna BrownRaymond BuchheitPatrick CertainBlake ChartierLadd CoatesCarly CollinsLeonard DubersteinSuzie EadesLance EdwardCallie FeakinLynne FitzgeraldJolane FlaniganAnn GillBill HandCuyler HarveyLinda HealowN Lea JacobsonAloma JessDeb & Mark JohnersonHarry KoyamaSteve McConnellVirginia MermelDouglas & Kama MortonMur QuagliaMichelle RobertsBradley SargentPatti ScanlanAnna SchmittRichard SchottAnthony ShebleRich SmithPaul TaylorAndrew VadisTami Wohlers

FLATHEAD-KOOTENAI CHAPTERAngelo AldereteSarah AronsonSheila M. & Rich BellHailey BennettLaurel BittermanBeverly BrumbaughLily BuchananOmar CarilloLogan ChristensenPaul Conn & Dorothy BoultonJen CorpCraig DickensonDonald DodgeKyle DruyvesteinNeil EliasonJohnathn FossenShane FosterBroolyn FoustPayton FrieldsCody GarrisonGlenda GehriStacy GrayStuart HalpernCharles HashSarah HepnerRoger Herrington & Nancy KaumeyerBetty HolderBailey Hollingsworth

Gary R HuntsbergerSierra HutchinHelen JohnsonBrian & Mariah JoosKyran KenisonKayleen KidwellMacKenzie KoetterAustin LatterBryant LittleJohn LordGenevieve LorickAislynn LoveShade MainKurtis MansfieldKatie MarsonetteJanice McCannJan MetzmakerMarissa MockKelly MoncurKim & Jay MoodyHarry MorganEden MorinLinda NewgardMary NolanBrooklyn OlsonAmelia PittsleyTom & Teresa QuinnAlan S. & Christine QuintGene ReckinStewart RhodesJessica & Chase RipleyCoby RodriquezWilfried RoyerChad SivertsenRussell SmithMerry Lynn SouthersDavid SwansonErynn ThierHope UngerSayge VanceJulia VanicekMichael VergerontElizabeth ViolettRaylene WallJill WeiserCody WilliamsTrisha WolfJivan Zeisse

ISLAND RANGECHAPTERArlee J AndersonMark AndrewsJenn ArchibaldCourtney AtaitZoe AxhelmJulie BassRod BergerMary BonillaKathleen BrownJen CreedFrank & Michelle DegaEricka EverlyRuth Fletcher & Ron GreeneDon GarbergKimberly GrossmanKathryn HansenCarrie Hill ParkerRandy HoutzSuzanne KatoFendall Keggi & Laura BruskyJason Kindsvatter

William LarsonNicole LegereOlin LyonsBryan McClureJohn MillerFrank Milles & Mariann MillerKristen Moulton-Cilwick & Ted CilwickJody NelsonLinda NiswangerMatt OchsnerPat & Sarah OzmentSharon PfefferWill RawonLaurie RettigCharlene RogersChuck & Judy RogersDeborah RoseCarole SchileElaine Schoyen & Michael CroskreyCharlette SmallSam SurbruggClyde R ThomasCarrie TrottKaren WilkinsonCheryl WoodsJim ZadickMarie JohnsMary O’Malley

MADISON-GALLATIN CHAPTERBrock AndersonPeter and Ene BeresfordVanessa & Gordon BrittanTamera CampbellEmily ClevelandConnie CokKara DamonRussell DietrichTory DilleChris FanuzziAdrienne FleckmanCynthia FoxEliza GillilanAnne GoertzenAnthony HaagWilliam JamesonAdam KellnhoferKaron KellyAngela KrayJennifer LearErica LighthiserAlicia McKenneyIvy MerriotTwila & Chris MoonTony Moore & Rie HargravesKristine & Thomas OlenickiW. Lisa PrughKay RasmussenMarlena Renwyck & Moe WitschardPaul RishelRebecca RitterRita RozierJack SautherEleanor SchwarzkopfMark SlovakPamela SpringSherry Staub

Frank StewartCraig & Martie StewartChris TennyMallory ThomasWalt WeaverGillian Wormood

SHININGMOUNTAINS CHAPTERSteven AkreKari AndrewsJesse & Alan AppleburyPaul AxelrodKatherine BartlettAnnie BernauerAnneliese & Levi BessetteLaurie Blossom-Savage & Troy SavageSusan BoehmanLarry BrightLawrence BrouwerLynda BrownMargaret & Gary BrownleePatrick BurkeJ. Martin BurkeCharles & Ursula CarpenterDanielle & Austin ChapinDavid ChapmanStephanie ChildersKarl ChristBrian ChristiansonJames & Marcy ColyerMichael CresslerDiane DavisKaren EmersonThomas FordKathy GayvertKate GeraniosGordon & Marion GerrishNancy GibsonAnnie GillespieCurt HammillJames & Carol HansenPatricia HatfieldWayne HedmanRobert Heffner & Nancy Marmont Penny HegyiMarcia Hogan & Karl EnglundCindy HolderRichard HoskinsKen & Lori JacksonSara JohnsonColey JonesJustin HeatonBrian KeaneVan KeeleJennifer KruegerJordan LarsonSolem LauraRobert & Kali LindnerMary Lombardo ZenonWallace & Karla LongCharles LonsdalePatric & Ken LoucksKim LugthartMara LutherHeidi MacdonaldKathy McGee

Will & Sherry McLauchlanMike McMichaelJoe MelvinScott MooreMarlene MoresiDonna MorrisRick & Sue NeffJohn NusbaumCherie PeacockAnne PetersenMonty PirtleJeri RafterSam ReillyLindsay Richards & Tom RobertsLinda RoszkiewiczAnne SaturdayKierstin SchmittKelly & Dick ShullCindy SlagelDavid SpildieShawn Stinton & Melissa DuvalKatie SullivanDierdre SwansonLisa ThomasKatie ThompsonLynda WightmanMark Wilson

SOUTHWESTERNWILDLANDSCHAPTERJeani Alonzo-AdamsRachel BeckerAdam & Jill BensonEric BergCindy ClarkLaura DanielJames FoltzJames GriffinBev & Fred HartlineJerry & Martha HaxbyLaureen HensleyKay Kountz-O’NeilMike MaesarJeff SchahczenskiPaul ShefelbineCole Twedt

WILD DIVIDE CHAPTERJohn AndrewDee AnnaJohn AnthonyChristina ArdaryPaul AzevedoKenneth BaileyMary C. BeaudetteDon & Joan BishopDavid Clark-Snustad & Jana SnustadThomas CorbettRuth DockinsLaura FergusonThomas FlowersTheran FriesPaul Gordon & Claudia CliffordBrian GreenRonald & Nancy HampaDonna HansenJulie & Eugene Huntington

Martin JohansenThomas JudgeSue KenyonTodd Kortkamp & Shelly Harkins-KortkampRobert & Marcia LevitanJulie LoraasWilliam MedeSandra MooreErin MurphyTamara NeidichDavid Orndoff & Ann WilsnackKimberly PepperNancy PerryJames Posewitz & Gail JoslynTara PrestonWilbur Rehmann & Susan MilesBen RigbyAnnmarie RobinsonKen SoderbergMichelle VeredCourtney WantinkKathryn WillcocksonSuza Wooldridge

OUT OF STATEKenneth AdamsRonald BoggsPhilip BrittanCharlie BurnettSuzanne ConnorsPatricia CoulterChris & Ingrid EvavoldDavid FeizaAnn & William FriskicsLyle FunderburkKim & Doug GabrielA. HamiltonRobert HitchensIsaac HudsonLee JesterSteve & Carolyn JonesBrenda KasaniDevon MaliziaRhoene ManleySusan MarkleyHenry MathiasSandra McClartyEd MendelLoren Miles & Kathy Oligmiller MilesKathy MorganEdward Norton & Virginia Ann McBrideScott PalingLaura PattersonJohn PinkowskiDennis W. & Eunice RighettiGregory SampsonJanine SchreyackKrystal SmithDavid & Ann TaylorJean Vanden DriesscheJohn WalzFay WoukMelissa WyersDanny WynnColleen YoungJuda Youngstrom & Peter Covell

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF KEEPING IT WILD

2018 ANNUAL GATHERING SEPTEMBER 7–9

Shane Lalani Center for the Arts, 415 E. Lewis Street, Livingston

2018 is MWA’s 60th anniversary, and you’re invited to join us in celebrating six decades ofprotecting Montana’s wild places with three days of hiking, workshops, and learning.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Join us on the volunteer-led hike of your choice in the Hyalite-Porcupine-BuffaloHorn Wilderness Study Area and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. There willbe outings to suit all abilities, and hike leaders will fill you in about locallandscapes and chapter activities as we go.

5 – 9 p.m. Rendezvous at the Shane Lalani Center for a welcome address from GovernorSteve Bullock, as well as Madison-Gallatin Chapter President Tom Ross andState Council President Mark Hanson. Afterwards, stick around for a screeningof Wild Resurrection: The Untold Story of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness,a film celebrating the 40th anniversary of this irreplaceable Wilderness area.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

8:30 a.m. – noonMore volunteer-led hikes will leave from the Shane Lalani Center at 8:30. There will beofferings to suit all abilities. You can also participate in a GPS training course taught byMWA member Roger Jenkins or a wilderness skills course led by MWA staffer“Backcountry” Bob Ronan.

Noon – 5:30 p.m. Lunch (please bring your own), followed by an address by MWA ExecutiveDirector Ben Gabriel and a presentation on the history of MWA by SeniorConservation Advisor John Gatchell. There will also be panel discussions onpublic land agency management and the economic power of public lands.

5:30 – 8 p.m.Enjoy hors d’oeuvres by Homemade Kitchen and chat with chapterrepresentatives before the presentation of awards and an address by guest speaker Ed Norton Sr., a 40-year veteran of conservation who has beeninvolved in The Wilderness Society, The Nature Conservancy, ConservationLands Foundation, and other organizations.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

8:30 a.m. Head out on another hike or head to the Yellowstone Pioneer Lodge for the State Councilmeeting. All members are welcome to attend.

Tickets are required for all events. Tickets for the Saturday evening program are $20, but tickets for all other hikes and activities are free.

Get your tickets and find more information at wildmontana.org/join-us/annual-gathering.

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JOIN US IN CELEBRATING

60 YEARSOF KEEPING IT WILD

Learn more or get tickets atwildmontana.org/join-us/annual-gathering

Sponsored by:

2018 ANNUAL GATHERING SEPTEMBER 7–9

SHANE LALANI CENTER FOR THE ARTS415 E. LEWIS ST., LIVINGSTON

Volunteers needed!For more information or to volunteer,

contact Courtney Wantink at 406-443-7350 x111 or cwantink@wildmontana.org.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

Celebrating 40 years of theAbsaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

Friday events are FREE and open to the public.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

Celebrating 60 years of Montana Wilderness Association

Saturday program is open to the public. $20 ticket required.

SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON PAGE 14