Front is the best of the Last Best Place

By Randy Newberg

Congressman Denny Rehberg has asked Montanans to tell him more about the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act and the remarkable, five-year public process behind the collaborative effort to conserve public lands along the Front. He's holding a listening session in Choteau today at 2:30 p.m. in the Choteau Public Schools auditorium.
He's going to hear two things, loud and clear: Montana sportsmen are committed to conserving the Front, and they will welcome the Congressman's support in keeping this sportsman's paradise just the way it is.
The Front is that expansive, rough country that'll take your breath away every time you drive U.S. Highway 200 south of Great Falls. It's a wellspring of clean, cold water; a place that supports significant livestock grazing; and an important lure for tourists who give a boost to traditional small-town economies.
But more than anything, it's a sportsman's paradise. Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks tallies some 90,000 hunter days along the Front and some $10 million spent by sportsmen in nearby communities each fall. Many more days and dollars from fishing, camping, and hiking.

...This is what Congressman Rehberg will hear: The Front is the best of the Last Best Place — and we want to keep it just the way it is.

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Randy is a board member of Orion and owner of On Your Own Adventures in Bozeman, MT