Three Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Montana would be returned to general management under a bill led by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT).
“As a lifelong sportsman, increasing access to Montana’s great outdoors is one of my top priorities,” said Sen. Daines, who on Dec. 17 sponsored the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act, S. 3527, with a GOP original cosponsor.
WSAs are U.S. federal lands identified by agencies like the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Forest Service that offer primitive recreation and are protected from development, though some uses like hunting and grazing may continue under strict rules.
While these lands possess wilderness qualities (naturalness, size, solitude), they await a final decision from Congress to be designated as part of the permanent National Wilderness Preservation System, meaning they are managed as if they are wilderness to prevent impairment until Congress acts.
According to a bill summary provided by Sen. Daines’ staff, each WSA is recommended for release by its respective agency’s land and resource management plan revisions and retains certain protections while providing more flexibility for land managers to mitigate wildfire risk, restore wildlife habitat, and increase sportsmen access.
“The Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act promotes our outdoor way of life by returning restrictive WSAs to general public land management, which will improve wildlife habitat restoration, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and unlock better access to public lands,” Sen. Daines said.
The three WSAs that would return to general public land management under S. 3527 would be the Middle Fork Judith WSA, the Hoodoo Mountain WSA, and the Wales Creek WSA.
The bill has garnered support from several entities, including the Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, the Montana Logging Association, and the Montana Snowmobiles Association, among others.