By BETSY BUFFINGTON
Guest columnist
Montana, the Last Best Place. While it may sound to like a cliched motto or bumper sticker, it still resonates with anyone who has ever heard of Montana or been in our state for more than a heartbeat. We respect that this place is so much bigger than each of us and it makes us proud to know that Montana has remained wild, rugged and free, while so many other states have tamed,
developed and privatized over the decades. Montana remains the Last Best Place thanks to the long-view foresight of our predecessors, versus the shortsightedness of some of our neighbors.
The call of our iconic wildness attracts ever growing numbers of people to our state, either as awe-struck tourists to our national parks or, for the lucky ones, dream vacations become dream homes. Whether you moved here from New Jersey or your ancestors are buried within sight of your kitchen window, it doesn’t take long to understand the deeply rooted love of and commitment
to protecting this place we get to call home and the wildlife and public lands that make it extraordinary. While we may disagree on many things, the reverence for our wildlife and public lands and all they symbolize is nearly universally sacred.
All of these made-in Montana values make the news of the last few weeks especially troubling. After decades of nonpartisan work and the investment of countless taxpayer dollars to restore and
manage our state’s famous herds of elk and pronghorn as well as bison, wolves and bears, our state legislature is poised to send a slate of unprecedented anti-wildlife bills to the governor’s desk. The package includes a bill brought by trappers that expands their seasons for wolves, effectively removing Fish, Wildlife and Parks from its role as the state’s professional wildlife manager.
We also fought various pieces of legislation that collectively expands hunting of wolves, resurrects the antiquated wolf bounty and legalizes baiting and snaring at a time when other Western states are banning those activities because of the terrible consequences for dogs and other wildlife. These bills against our public lands are just as extreme and short-sighted.
This collection of anti-wildlife bills comes on top of this week’s news that our governor, our wildlife steward and lawmaker in chief, broke the rules in how he trapped and killed a radio collared wolf just north of Yellowstone, on the exclusive ranch of a political contributor. Coming from a political leader who is a life-long hunter and who, as a candidate, proclaimed his support of our public lands and wildlife, this is demoralizing to say the least.
But Gov. Gianforte has an opportunity to right that wrong, show his commitment to protecting our wildlife and uphold the tradition of defending our title as the Last Best Place. He has the power
to stand beside sportsmen and women and wildlife advocates who helped defeat a bill, backed by one of the state’s largest landowners, to sell packs of elk tags to wealthy out of staters.
Last week, Governor Gianforte received a letter from more than 3,300 wildlife photographers and filmmakers asking him to veto the antiwildlife bills heading to his desk. That was in addition to
countless letters from wildlife managers, landowners, national park advocates, hunters and anglers, recreationists, business owners and tourists all urging him to do the same.
We love our wildlife, public lands and national parks — they define who we are, remind us of where we’ve come from and who we want to be. We inherited this magnificent state from our predecessors who, thinking about what they wanted to pass on, made some hard but wise decisions. Will Gov. Gianforte’s desk be the continuation of that great legacy or will it be the place where we become the state once known as the Last Best Place?
Betsy Buffington is the Northern Rockies Regional Director for the National Parks
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Guest Editorial 3/27/21