Call of the Wild Issued from NW Montana
Monday, April 20, 2009
Whitefish, MT – A call of the wild has been issued from northwest Montana. Business owners and professionals have sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation asking for wilderness area consideration for the Scotchman Peaks, Great Burn, Ten Lakes, and Whitefish Range, and other public lands. It comes on the heels of the signing of new federal wilderness designations across nine states – where Montana did not make the list.
Building contractor Edwin Fields in Whitefish signed the letter. He says wilderness and the economy go hand-in-hand in Montana.
"Wilderness makes good business sense. A lot of people come to Montana because of the quality of life, and part of that quality of life is that they want to get out into wilderness."
Fields expects more Montanans to issue the wilderness call in the name of economic development, and he see it as an emerging trend.
"I’m a supporter of wilderness and I think that it is good for my business. I definitely believe that wilderness deserves protection."
Opponents of new wilderness designations are concerned about limiting oil and gas development, as well as off-road vehicle access. This is the second recent letter going to D.C. about Montana wilderness. An earlier letter was co-signed by about a dozen prominent Montanans.
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