When he returns to his hometown of Whitefish next week, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will be greeted by billboards and a media campaign urging him to leave the Missouri River Breaks alone. It’s one of two dozen national monuments he’s reviewing to eliminate or scale back protections.
Zinke is scheduled to address the Western Governors Association's annual conference Tuesday.
A group called Hold Our Ground has already released a television commercial and a set of social media videos, including this one featuring Nicole Fugere, Owner of Missouri River Outfitters:
"When I heard that the national monument was under review, to be honest, it really struck me as a personal attack. There’s been a lot put in place to protect this river, and without the monument, this wouldn’t be available in the capacity that it is today," Fugere says in the video.
Over the next few days, there will be a billboard ad in Missoula and four in the Flathead.
Public land advocates are also planning a public event in the area on Monday.
Various groups are hoping to get the attention of Zinke and 11 governors gathering Monday through Wednesday.