Yellowstone
National Park (YNP): The northern Gallatin Range is the largest
remaining still unprotected roadless wildland adjacent to
Yellowstone, the world's first national park. The Southern
Gallatins are within the park, but the entire contiguous half
million plus acre wildland needs to be protected in order
to help sustain the biological integrity of the Yellowstone
Ecosystem.
According to conservation biologists,
YNP's plethora of wildlife would falter without adjacent protected
national forest lands. The Absaroka-Beartooth, North Absaroka,
Washakie, Teton, Jed Smith, Winnegar Hole and Lee Metcalf
Wilderness Areas effectively enlarge the Yellowstone backcountry
so that many species that are rare or extinct elsewhere, including
large carnivores, can thrive within the magnificent Greater
Yellowstone. Indeed, without these protected wildlands, the
Yellowstone region would be an impoverished fragment of what
thrives today. The wild northern Gallatins are the major missing
link of this otherwise protected realm.
Wildlife: The Gallatin Range is one of
America's best wildlife areas. Grizzly, black bear, gray wolf,
wolverine, marten, badger, porcupine, mountain lion, elk,
moose, mule and whitetail deer, bighorn sheep, bison, mountain
goats and more are unbelievably profuse here. Lynx is a listed
Endangered species. Summer and winter range plus, migratory
routes for part of the world-renowned Northern Yellowstone
Elk Herd are here. Bald and golden eagles are frequently seen,
along with peregrine falcons, northern pygmy owls and many
other birds of the prairies, coniferous forests and tundra.
Rich fisheries support cutthroat trout and other game fish.
This incomparably diverse and abundant mix of wildlife brings
a palpable and overwhelming life force to this primitive landscape.
Hunting: The Northern Gallatins are a
hunting mecca; the big bucks and bulls thrive in the cover
and topographic folds of the backcountry. Wilderness designation
will protect the kind of remote hunting and fishing experience
that's becoming rare in this increasingly crowded and hemmed-in
world.
Fishing: Two blue ribbon trout rivers
- the Yellowstone and the Gallatin -- that depend upon the
clear, cold water emanating from the high country bound the
Gallatins. Protecting these watersheds is a priority. Our
elected officials must understand that any detriment to the
fishing quality is unacceptable. Yellowstone cutthroat trout
and Arctic grayling both thrive in the Gallatins, and Wilderness
designation would help to ensure their survival.
Water: The Gallatin crest collects an
average of 300 inches of snow. This snow pack melts slowly,
nourishing an abundance of clean cold mountain streams, lakes
and wetlands, and beautiful vegetation. Trickles and rivulets
of snowmelt, spring rains and summer thunderstorms coalesce
into the headwater magic of some of our nation's greatest
rivers.
Petrified Forest: The 25,980 acre Gallatin
Petrified Forest is within the 200,000 acre North Gallatin
Range Roadless Area. This is the world's most extensive fossil
forest, with 30 million year old stumps of ancient sequoias
buried by Eocene lava flows, still anchored and upright atop
these wild ridges. Unfortunately, vandalism and theft of specimens
are rampant, facilitated by the increasing armies of motorcycles
and ATV's that now defile the wildlands. Wilderness designation
under the Wilderness Act of 1964 will help to protect this
priceless heritage.
Economy: Hunting, fishing, backpacking,
horse packing, cross country skiing, bird watching and other
wildland activities pump hundreds of millions of dollars into
Montana restaurants, lodges, stores, gas stations and other
businesses including outfitting and guiding. In 1995, Montana
hunters and anglers alone dropped over 325 million dollars
and spent another 428 million on license fees. Numerous studies
and indisputable examples show that healthy wildlands foster
vibrant and diverse human economies. Our economy cannot be
repaired if we lose the anchor that holds it in place. It's
up to us!
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