“... I did not want to go to sleep because, you know, you've got to stay awake if you're sitting next to a pile of meat and there's grizzlies in the area ...” Chris Scranton told the crowd as his tale unfolded.
Normally, stories like this one from Scranton are swapped around a campfire. But, last week, a handful of Montana outdoor recreators shared them next to the Missoula County Courthouse, where public land advocates gathered in support of the roadless rule.
Zac Cheviron with the Montana Backcountry Alliance addressed the small crowd.
“What the roadless rule does is it allows us to keep places wild, right? It's a tool. And repealing that rule is just another blow to wild places. And it's a serious one.”
Since 2001, the rule has limited road building and development on tens of millions of acres of public land across the country, including more than 6 million acres in Montana. In August, the U.S. Forest Service moved to rescind it, saying it restricts efforts to reduce wildfire risk.
For Scranton, these places are the heart of Montana.
"It's where I hunt, it's where I fish, it is where I bird watch. It's why I live here,” Scranton said.
John Doty worries about what the policy change could mean.
“I just think that if this rule is rescinded – the impacts for the beauty and the economy of western Montana – I think people don't realize the effect it's going to have,” he said.
He talked about backpacking with his family, an experience he says would be different with roads.
“I realize the last, what, 50-some years, I've kind of taken it for granted, these areas, that they're there. So I want you guys all, and my kids, and your kids, and grandkids, and anybody to be able to enjoy those areas.”
Lisa Ronald with nonprofit American Rivers hoped to inspire others to share their own stories while the Forest Service is taking public comment on the proposed change.
"We have to remember that the people reading these comments are people, they're human beings. They may not live here, they may not understand Montana well, but they can identify with a personal story,” she said.
The public comment period closed October 6th.
