Backers say wilderness proposal ready for Congress

Supporters of the proposed Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act — a bill that would designate approximately 86,000 acres of new wilderness and protect an additional 218,000 acres from most new road construction along the Rocky Mountain Front — say the measure is ready for congressional consideration. However, critics of the proposal said the measure falls far short of adequately protecting what many people believe are some the nation's last best wildlands. Last fall, the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, the group spearheading the measure, set out to ease concerns of interested stakeholders by holding a series of public meetings around the region. The group hosted meetings in Great Falls, Helena, Choteau and Augusta to explain the details of the measure to the public and solicit feedback. Supporters said those efforts culminated in a re-worked draft of the bill that attempts to strike a balance between the concerns of area ranchers, landowners, conservationists, sportsmen and outdoor recreationists...more