The Montana War

The War on Montana's Wildlife & Environment

Montana residents are surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty, which includes our wildlife, contributing to the quality of our lives. This gift is not just ours, but is enjoyed by visitors from all over the U. S. and Internationally, who desire to experience the natural and flourishing wilderness that is lacking in so much of the world.

Unfortunately, there are those that see the abundant wilderness of Montana as theirs for the taking. From mining coal in eastern Montana, shipping it to China across our state - leaving a toxic trail of coal dust in its wake - to ore extraction that polluted the land and water with arsenic - to wrangling our public trust lands for their private benefit, and in the process marginalizing, if not killing, our wildlife for their self serving interests, while destroying the life of the land.

War is defined as, "an organized and often prolonged conflict that is carried out by states or other types of parties wishing to form or control states or other types of territories. It is characterized by extreme aggression, economic disintegration and irrationality, social disruption, and usually high mortality."

There is a real War on Montana's Wildlife & Environment that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. This is not "greenie" hype, this is a reality that if not dealt with now, will epitomize Dr. Seuss's, The Lorax, right here in Montana. Prevention is far more beneficial and economic than restoration and reclamation, which in some cases cannot be "undone", subspecies and species extinction for example.

We acknowledge private property rights and are not advocating the taking over of anyone's land. Nor are we painting a broad brush of generalizations against specific groups. We acknowledge that not all Republicans are anti-wildlife, nor are all Democrats wildlife lovers. Likewise not all farmers or ranchers are against wildlife and clean environments. Our contributing writers represent various political backgrounds, professions and hunting / fishing  practices (or not). We are as diverse as Montana is.

 Our advocacy is for the legal and ethical administration of our public trust lands for the flourishing and health of our wildlife and environment.

• We are advocating upholding of the Montana Constitution, Article IX, which states, "(1) The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. (2) The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. (3) The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources." 

• We are advocating the proper FWP (Fish Wildlife and Parks) "stewardship of the fish, wildlife, parks and recreational resources of Montana, while contributing to the quality of life for present and future generations," that they are charged with.

• We advocate the BLM's (Bureau of Land Management) goal of, "overall objective is to ensure the long-term health and productivity of these lands and to create multiple environmental benefits that result from healthy watersheds...provide habitat for wildlife..."

• We advocate the NPS's (National Park Service) goal of, "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

We are also hoping to raise the bar for Montana journalists to do more informative, science based reporting, rather than much of the political emphasis, representing special interest groups that profit on this war.

Education, real science, and factual media is necessary to clear up the rampant misunderstandings that dominate the public understanding landscape. With this in mind, "we aim" to get the information out there and thereby help to preserve the beauty and wilderness of Montana for future generations to come.