Three wilderness study areas in Montana could lose that designation in legislation approved by the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.
The panel advanced more than a dozen bills, including an amended version of S. 3527, the “Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act,” which would undo wilderness study designations for the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area, the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area and the Wales Creek Wilderness Study Area.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said that removing wilderness study designations and returning the areas to general management would allow for better wildfire and wildlife supervision.
In the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area, Daines said “fuels management would help protect the forest, the watershed, wildlife as well as people and structures.”
