Sportsmen Oppose Land Sales

Dear Email Sentry:

Montana and the country is in a hubbub about the Administration's plans to sell isolated Forest Service tracts and use the proceeds to fund the Secure Rural Schools Act. Announced in the Federal Register on March 1st were plans to sell what has been defined by Washington as small, isolated, hard to manage parcels of Forest Service lands to fund our Secure Rural Schools Act. At best, this is merely a poorly engineered temporary fix coming at a time when they should be pursuing a more permanent solution.

Because sportsmen pay close attention to any issues that undermine their hunting and fishing heritage in Montana, it's time for your help.

Public lands in Montana have proven to support some of the most sustainable sectors of our economy; activities like hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, sustainable and responsible timber harvests, public land outfitting, grazing and eco-tourism are all important pieces of an ever growing economy in Montana. To chip away at this ever important piece of our economic future is nothing short of the worst kind of public estate management practice thinkable. Sportsmen have no argument with trading these small parcels for important pieces of wildlife habitat but the permanent loss of this public estate acreage is unthinkable. We can abide no net-loss of public land.

So, you can help defend Montana's hunting and fishing heritage by employing the following.

1. Contact our delegation and urge them to oppose the Forest Service Secure Rural Schools Land Sales Initiative, and remind them how important public lands are to our culture and heritage. Contact info is found below.
2. Send a letter to the editor of your local paper. Elected officials pay attention to their constituents especially when your discontent is aired publicly.
3. Be sure to comment on the actual initiative. You can read the text in the Federal Register.

Send your comments by email to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us (preferred) or by fax to (202) 205–1604, or by good old US Mail to:

USDA Forest Service
SRS Comments, Lands 4S
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop 1124
Washington, DC 20250–0003

Contact info for the Montana delegation:

Sen. Conrad Burns
U.S. Senate
187 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone:(202) 224-2644
FAX: (202) 224-8594
Montana toll-free: 1-800-344-1513

Sen. Max Baucus
U.S. Senate
511 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510-2602
Phone:(202) 224-2651
FAX: (202) 224-0515
Montana toll-free: 1-800-332-6106

Rep. Dennis Rehberg
516 Cannon House Office Bldg
Washington, DC, 20515
Phone: 202-225-3211
FAX: 202-225-5687

For contact info if you live outside Montana go to: http://www.congress.org and http://www.senate.com

Thank you for stepping up for Montana's public lands, waters, and fair-chase hunting and fishing heritage.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email or call me at the phone numbers below.

Larry Copenhaver
Conservation Director
Montana Wildlife Federation
Web-site: www.montanawildlife.com
Email: lcopenhaver@mtwf.org
[406] 458-0227
[800] 517-7256

Thank you for all you do for Montana's public lands, wildlife, and fair-chase hunting and fishing heritage.

Montana Wildlife Federation, with nearly 7,000 members, is the largest and oldest statewide nonprofit wildlife conservation organization of hunters and anglers who work to protect Montana's lands and waters and its hunting and fishing heritage.

To learn more about MWF, go to www.montanawildlife.com.

This message is brought to you by the Montana Wildlife Federation ... Montana's largest, statewide wildlife conservation organization with over 7,000 members.