It is time for a collaborative process to decide the fate of the Wilderness Study Areas.
Ravalli County Commissioner Greg Chilcott is claiming that the commission decided not to rescind its letter because most of the people who testified at the meeting were from outside the county. He said this on Tuesday in Billings during a meeting of the Montana Association of Counties (MACo).
Commissioner Chilcott is wrong about those who testified. I know this because I was there and the Montana Wilderness Association checked the numbers.
Fifty-eight of the 72 people (80 percent) who testified live in Ravalli County.
Of the 58 Ravalli County residents who testified, 42 (72 percent) of them were opposed to the bill and 16 (28 percent) were for it. That same ratio, 72-28 percent, holds true for all who testified.
Of the 52 people who testified against Sen. Daines’ bill, 42 (80 percent) live in Ravalli County.
Of the 20 people who testified in favor of the bill, 16 (80 percent, the same as above) live in Ravalli County.
Even if Commissioner Chilcott were right, I believe that all Montanans – indeed all Americans – have the right to speak up on behalf of American public lands, no matter where we live.
I take umbrage with the County Commissioners claiming that there is a clear opinion in the county. There is clearly a divide amongst the residents of Ravalli County concerning Senator Daines’ bill and your letter of support for lifting the WSA status for the two Wilderness Study Areas in Ravalli County.
I urge the Ravalli County Commissioners to recognize the divide in a letter to Senator Daines and your constituents. It is time for a collaborative process that re-evaluates the character of the areas and recommends a common sense plan for their future.
Tim Peterson
Corvallis