Bill > S3527

This bill, titled the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act, aims to release certain lands in Montana from wilderness study area (WSA) designations and improve their management. WSAs are areas set aside for evaluation to determine their suitability for designation as wilderness under laws like the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). Despite studies by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) indicating that significant portions of these WSAs, including the Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek areas, are unsuitable for wilderness designation, they remain under these restrictive designations. This bill would remove the WSA designation from approximately 81,000 acres in the Middle Fork Judith area, allowing it to be managed under existing Forest Service land and resource management plans, and from approximately 11,380 acres in the Hoodoo Mountain area and 11,580 acres in the Wales Creek area, allowing them to be managed under existing BLM land management plans. The stated purpose of this release is to enable better conservation and management of these lands, enhance opportunities for sportsmen, improve public access, and facilitate wildlife habitat and wildfire mitigation projects, all while continuing to manage the areas in accordance with environmental laws, local input, and multiple-use principles.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3527/all-info