Idaho Senators Oppose Montana Wilderness Designation

There’s a move afoot from Idaho Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo to pressure their Montana counterparts, Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus, to remove the Montana side of Mount Jefferson and Hellroaring Creek from wilderness designation as proposed in the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (FJRA), a Montana wilderness bill co-sponsored by the two Montana Senators. The move, which would serve only a narrow special interest, is ill-advised. Mount Jefferson is a small but significant 4,500-acre area located in the Centennial Mountains along the Idaho/Montana border. The political pressure from Idaho hinges on the fact that Idaho snowmobilers want access to Montana’s Mount Jefferson...read more