Beneficiary Wild Montana talks recent federal layoffs, conservation efforts around Big Sky
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
On Thursday, Feb. 27, The Waypoint will host the 20th annual Backcountry Film Festival to benefit environmental nonprofit Wild Montana.
Presented nationally by Winter Wildlands Alliance with proceeds supporting local and regional efforts, the film festival is in its 20th year of sparking conversations about human connection to wild places, encouraging grassroots activism in the face of climate change, and inspiring stewardship of wild public lands and waters, according to a Wild Montana press release.
“Festival-goers will enjoy films featuring backcountry experiences, conservation efforts, and personal stories of reflection and discovery while traversing wild landscapes,” the release stated.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. with films beginning at 7. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or at the door. The event is sponsored by Two Pines Properties and Ramshorn Outdoors.
Proposed conservation act ‘timely’ in wake of recent USFS layoffs
Wild Montana, one of the founding members of the Gallatin Forest Partnership, is working to support the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act, proposed in 2024. The proposed legislation has garnered a mix of support and opposition from community members and activists in the region. Proponents believe it’s “a realistic solution” to balance permanent protection, recreation and public land access; others say it falls short of protections the sensitive area deserves.
Alex Blackmer, senior communications manager for Wild Montana, spoke on the phone with EBS about the proposal. He said in the midst of fast-changing national news surrounding public land management, it’s a timely piece of legislation.
Recent federal layoffs—trimming the U.S. Forest Service and other land management agencies “down to a skeleton crew,” he said—have created a new and unexpected cause for urgency, in addition to Montana’s recent growth and evolution that has pressured trails, rivers, backcountry access and wildlife.
“We’re still very committed to working with our delegation to pass the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act,” Blackmer said. “… If we wait any longer, we’re going to risk losing all of these things… So the time to act and come up with a permanent solution for protecting the Madison and Gallatin ranges is now. I think there’s a big appetite for that, and there’s no sense in delaying that.”
Blackmer believes Montana cannot afford to wait, and that the proposal’s failure would be “a huge miss.” He also addressed the opposition, who may believe the act isn’t protective enough.
“It’s a good thing that people feel really strongly about protecting these places,” Blackmer said. “We all agree that these places need to be protected…. This [act] actually adds protective designations to more acreage than has ever realistically been set forward for protection in the Madison and Gallatin [ranges].”
He added his belief that there’s been a lot of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of a lot of the details in the act. Proposing 124,000 acres of Wilderness protection, and another 126,000 acres of other conservation designations, Blackmer said the total 250,000 acres between Yellowstone National Park’s northern boundary and Hyalite Canyon is “a massive chunk” of the range.
“Letting this opportunity go by—when we’re seeing agency personnel being slashed, we’re seeing a pretty organized effort to undermine public lands and public land agencies across the board—it just underscores how important getting something like this actually is.”
Left: PHOTO BY FORREST BARTON
Right: PHOTO BY ARTHUS KAUFFEISEN
In addition to legislative activism, Wild Montana volunteers perform regular trail stewardship and conservation projects around the state. Every summer, the organization does more than a dozen projects—this year’s summer trail project schedule will be published later this month, and Blackmer said the “incredibly fun” events range from day projects to weeklong backcountry pack-mule trips.
Locally, the Madison-Gallatin chapter includes members from Bozeman, Gallatin Gateway and Big Sky.
“Making sure these places stay accessible, especially now that agency personnel is cut to the bone,” Blackmer said.
Wild Montana also hosts 60 to 80 free, volunteer-led wilderness walks every summer.
With a renewed urgency toward protecting public lands, films shown at the Feb. 27 event may take on a particular pertinence to those with a love for exploring the backcountry.
