by Philip Nordeck, Missoula
As a father, a citizen, and a resident of Montana, I am deeply concerned by efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule and weaken protections for some of our most wild and irreplaceable public lands.
My daughter just turned one year old. When I think about the Montana she will inherit, I think about the places that have shaped me—places like the Lolo National Forest and countless other wild landscapes across our state. These forests are more than scenery. They are where we hike, breathe, reflect, and remember what matters.
This should not be a partisan issue. I know Montanans from across the political spectrum—Democrats, Republicans, independents—who may disagree on many things but share a deep love for our forests and public lands. We all understand that once wild places are fragmented by roads and development, they are extraordinarily difficult—if not impossible—to restore.
The Roadless Rule protects what cannot be replaced. We should preserve these lands not only for ourselves, but for our children.
I want my daughter to grow up in a Montana where she can walk beneath old trees, hear silence broken only by wind and birds, and experience the same wild beauty that has shaped generations before her. That future is worth protecting.
We must keep the Roadless Rule in place.