Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership Proposal

Southwest Montana is a landscape rich in scale and beauty. It is home to stunning mountain ranges such as the Snowcrest, Italian Peaks, West Big Hole, East and West Pioneers, Sapphires and Highlands to name a few. The rivers provide world-class fly-fishing, elk grow large and plentiful, and Montanans enjoy the freedoms of outdoor traditions such as horsepacking, hiking, camping, hunting and fishing that are passed from generation to generation. The region is home to Montana’s largest National Forest—the Beaverhead-Deerlodge (B-D) at 3.32 million acres—with plenty of room for everyone.

When it comes to Montana’s national forests, Montanans want results, not just more gridlock. That is why a group of Montana timber workers, outdoorsmen and conservationists formed the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership. This Partnership includes Sun Mountain Lumber, Montana Wilderness Association, RY Timber Inc., Montana Trout Unlimited, Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc., Roseburg Forest Products, National Wildlife Federation and Smurfit Stone Container.

They were frustrated that the Forest Service was not doing more to improve forest health, fix damaged streams or protect treasured outdoor traditions. They knew they could work together to create a proposal for managing the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, a proposal that works for Montanans. The Partnership created a balanced, commonsense compromise for managing Montana’s Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

Released to the public in 2006, the B-D Partnership proposal rests on these pillars: jobs in the woods and mills, healthier forests, restored habitat, reduced fire risk and preservation of Montana’s backcountry traditions.

It ensures everyone has a say in managing public land. The Partnership demonstrates what’s possible when Montanans set aside differences. The proposal provides a sustainable timber supply for Montana’s mills, focusing on environmentally sensitive stewardship logging that helps reduce pine beetle infestations and wildfire threats.

Under the Partnership’s proposal, money from stewardship contracts is reinvested in local forest restoration projects that improve fish and wildlife habitat, stream health, and recreational trails. Local communities benefit from on-the-ground management and new jobs. It includes large landscape projects involving environmentally sensitive stewardship logging that can occur on approximately 713,000 acres.

The Partnership proposal also protects special places, such as popular areas in the Pioneer, West Big Hole and Snowcrest Mountain Ranges as Wilderness—approximately 560,000 acres—so that future generations will be free to access quiet backcountry to enjoy hunting, fishing, horsepacking, camping and hiking.

Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership Map [click image to enlarge]

Other principles include stewardship restoration activities that will enhance fish and wildlife habitat, modifying timber age class distribution to reduce fire severity and insect outbreaks, a net decrease in permanent roads at the end of the planning period and a Stakeholder Advisory Council comprised of multiple interests that will assist the USFS in the design, implementation and monitoring of stewardship projects.

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership has drawn praise from Montana’s statewide leaders including Senator Max Baucus, Senator Jon Tester, Governor Brian Schweitzer, Secretary of State Brad Johnson and former Congressman Pat Williams. A review of the partners and the praise the Partnership proposal has drawn, gives you a feeling for how strong the Partnership is in Montana.

Since the release of the B-D Partnership proposal in 2006, members of the B-D Partnership has been hard at work meeting with the public, local elected officials, public lands user groups and other interested parties. These meetings continue to build broad support and constructive conversations have helped to shape the B-D Partnership proposal further. Ultimately, legislation will provide certainty for all interests and the B-D Partnership has drafted federal legislation to implement its proposal and has asked Montana’s Congressional delegation to sponsor it. The latest draft of the legislation was released on October 9, 2007.

The B-D Partnership represents a new day in Montana. It means putting aside the conflicts and gridlock of the past and moving Montana forward on a new path. It means people working in our mills without fear of closing tomorrow, healthier forests and restored wildlife habitat, and new Wilderness in Montana—the passion and lifeblood of our organization.

We hope you take a moment to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand with this important campaign.

Letting elected officials know you support the B-D Partnership proposal will be critical for its success. Your voice is important. It represents your community and it only takes a moment to send a letter or e-mail, or make a phone call, to your Congressional delegation and county commissioners.

Please tell your county commissioners and the Montana congressional delegation you strongly support Montanans working out differences on public land management. Urge them to support the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership’s proposal.

Here are letter writing tips specifically tailored to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership Plan.