As the general big game hunting season continues, I frequently reflect on my own personal recreational junkets on many of these Plum Creek lands. I have hunted, hiked, fished and berry-picked in western Montana for more than 50 years, and in doing so, I have simply assumed that I had and would continue to have access to the “railroad lands” that are intermingled with lands managed by the Lolo National Forest. In retrospect, it was a time of innocence for me. Like the thousands of western Montanans who have used these railroad lands for decades, I unconsciously sheltered myself from the reality that these are private lands and their future ownership and/or uses could potentially change if and how the public could use them.
The support for my innocence and the validity of my assumptions evaporated quickly when Plum Creek announced its change in business structure from a timber company to that of a Real Estate Investment Trust, and stated its intentions to sell off and/or develop many of its lands in our neck of the woods. This announcement was followed by a series of articles published in the Missoulian that quite effectively unveiled what many of us considered serious and unprecedented threats to our future use of Plum Creek lands for our recreational endeavors. Personally, it gave rise to an unwelcome vision of subdivisions and trophy homes and accompanying yearlong vehicle traffic in my favorite hunting and hiking spots
The question today is, will we accept the risk of forever closing the book on the public’s recreational use of thousands of acres of “railroad lands” that have been part of “our back yard” for so long? Or, will we show our appreciation for the past and an accompanying vision for the future by coming together to support the effort to make the Montana Legacy Project reality?
As I think about the future patterns of use and ownership of our western Montana landscapes, I am really thinking about what they mean to our way of life and the quality of the environment in which we live. I am thinking about wildlife habitat, clean water, opportunities to hunt, fish, hike and pick berries. I’m thinking about mountain landscapes without red, green and blue roofs being the dominating features. I’m thinking about future timbered lands that will support traditional industry and jobs and also perform carbon sequestration to combat climate change. I’m thinking about the importance of doing things today that will assure that we keep a lot of what is great about Montana as we work to develop our future.
I remain thankful for the opportunities I have had during my life in western Montana, and I feel obliged to make them available for my kids and grandkids. Please, focus on our children’s future and support the Montana Legacy Project.
Tim Aldrich is involved with several conservation organizations and wildlife groups. He writes from Missoula.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)
j. bell wrote on Nov 19, 2008 1:37 PM: