Wilderness Tutorials: Defending Existing Wilderness Areas

The Wilderness Act offers strong protections for Wilderness areas, but that does not make them invulnerable. For instance:

• Illegal trespass of motorized vehicles into Wilderness is growing more common as technology develops for off-road vehicles, enabling them to go farther into the backcountry and across more rugged terrain. There is little or no on-the-ground education or enforcement to prevent these incursions.
• Some structures and uses were grandfathered into Wilderness areas, and politicians and citizens have abused or tried to expand those privileges.
• Legislative and policy threats are increasing, with proposals to create emergency exemptions to the Wilderness Act.

Montana Wilderness Association works to defend the Wilderness areas and the legislation that protects them. A few examples:

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
2002—Members of our Eastern Wildlands Chapter organized a successful effort to get the controversial Crippen Cabin removed from the Wilderness. Back-door politics between former Montana Senator Burns, the cabin owner, and MSU-Billings almost succeeded in extending the lease for 20 more years.
2002—Montana Wilderness Association helped stop a nine-mile road into the wilderness, as requested by a citizen to more easily travel to mining claims. Conservation groups intervened in court on behalf of the Forest Service, and a federal magistrate slapped down the request, arguing that traditional methods of access were sufficient.

Bob Marshall Wilderness
1981—Montana Wilderness Association worked with state and national groups to prevent seismic exploration in the Wilderness.
2002—Members of our Island Range and Wild Divide Chapters shut down early attempts made by the Montana Pilots Association to develop landing strips in wildlands in Montana, including six spots in the Bob.