Resources

One of the most important aspects of Montana Wilderness Association’s work is providing education and resources to Montanans and those who are otherwise in love with the State’s natural beauty. These resources will explain the hows and whys of Wilderness, and the critical relationships between wild places and clean water and air, thriving wildlife, and traditional recreation. If you have questions about any of these materials or have relevant materials to add to this ever growing set of resources, please contact us at mwa@wildmontana.org.

You can learn a great deal, and test your knowledge of Montana wildlands, by visiting Wild Basics. You can peruse factsheets, read up on various Wilderness topics, and find documents that are important to understanding the Wilderness effort, especially in Montana.

Montana is fortunate to have had strong wilderness advocates working tirelessly to protect our beautiful lands, before and after the passage of the Wilderness Act. Because of those efforts, we have twelve Wilderness areas, representing a total of 3,442,416 acres of protected land. Montana Wilderness Association was involved in the passage of each law that resulted in Montana Wilderness; we also act to ensure that these areas are maintained according to those laws. We provide a short description of each area and can also recommend Wilderness.net, which provides a more detailed description of each area.

We also have eleven National Forests, almost 17,000,000 acres of which are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Each of these areas has its own characteristics and potential for permanent protection as Wilderness. Learn about a forest in your area or around the state.

If you want to expand your knowledge of wild lands even more, Our Friends provides a long list of organizations, people, and sites that are relevant to Montana’s wild places, our work, and Wilderness issues generally. This is a nice starting point for more research on specific topics or about specific landscapes.

Finally, if you want to visualize Wilderness, check out our Maps and Slideshow. Our maps include a number of regional depictions of Montana, in which Wilderness areas and Forests are depicted. We also have a variety of roadless lands maps available. In our photos section, you can actually go to Montana. You can view albums containing photos from special areas, and of wildlife, flora, fauna and the folks who enjoy being outside. This is a great way to reinvigorate your love of the outdoors while you sit at your desk . . .