WASHINGTON - Montana Sen. Max Baucus is calling on Montana sportsmen and women, conservationists and community leaders to formulate a game plan to defeat President Bush's proposal to sell off more than 300,000 acres of public lands.

To aid in that effort, Baucus has schedule a public meeting in Missoula Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation headquarters.

"This is really a call to arms," Baucus said. "We need to get everyone pulling in the same direction to stop this land grab in its tracks."

Baucus has been critical of the proposal, announced last week, which would sell about 14,000 acres of public land in Montana to pay for the Secure Rural Schools Act, which provides payments to counties for timber-related sales. Baucus wants to extend the program established in 2000, but not by selling off public lands.

The Rural Schools program is set to expire this year. Baucus has co-sponsored legislation to extend it for seven more years without selling public lands.

The proposal will be debated as part of the fiscal year 2007 budget.

"I'm committed to burying this proposal, which I think is an assault on our outdoor heritage as Montanans," said Baucus.

The meeting is open to the public. For more information phone Baucus' Missoula office, 329-3123.