Letter to the Editor: Pass the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act

Preserving unique environments and providing pristine untouched land for people to enjoy and recreate on is something I have always been an advocate of. When I moved to Montana three years ago, I fell in love with the preserved wilderness that this state has to offer. The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act is one that would protect pristine, untouched land that is currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management, tacking another 80,000 acres to the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Mission Mountains Wildernesses. The BCSA would provide Montanans places to recreate for sure, as it also adds areas for snowmobiling and mountain biking, but it would also allow for the natural fauna of our state to have a home that will not be decimated by unsustainable logging and habitat damage. With restrictions put in place, all kinds of wildlife can be in a place where we can enjoy them but also respect them by preserving their habitats.

Our wilderness areas are the key to keeping land preserved, so that when urban development hits a limit, we will still have pieces of untouched America, how it was before we colonized and industrialized the wilds. I would like there to be protections in place, so we do not erase our own great cathedrals of Montana with dense urbanization. With population growth in Montana at an all time high, it is imperative that the BSCA be passed so that our love for our public lands is not overshadowed by overdevelopment.

Coyote Wegley is a political science major at MSU who is hoping to graduate in December. He is very passionate about current events and animal rights.