Volunteers needed to help pull weeds in the Badger-Two Medicine as part of the first annual Two Medicine Community Weed Pull and Education Event on Saturday, Aug. 6.
Grizzly Bear News and Reflections
Supporter Survey 2021 Results
Late last year, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance conducted a survey of our supporters to better understand who you are and why you care about our organization. For me, that survey reinforced a few key takeaways:
Our membership base sustained positive growth during the past three years and has confidence in our staff and board.
Many supporters have deep personal connections to the Badger-Two Medicine and other nearby public lands, and as such, are very motivated to protect this region’s land and water.
Our supporters appreciate that our organization has remained relatively small, hyper-focused, and community-oriented.
Our members favorite outdoor activities include hiking, camping, and wildlife watching.
We are pleased to be able to share the full results of our supporter survey.
Thank you to everyone who participated. We look forward to using your valuable perspectives to help build a stronger and more effective organization together.
Reflections on Years of Service
Revised Forest Plan Released
After six years, the revised forest plan for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is finally finished! The US Forest Service released its final record of decision, land management plan and Environmental Impact Statement on Friday, Oct. 29th. This new forest plan will guide the management of approximately 2.8 million acres of public lands, including the Badger-Two Medicine and Rocky Mountain Front for the next 20 – 25 years.
Since the plan revision process began in 2015, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance has invested heavily in steering the new plan to ensure strong protections for wild lands and natural ecological processes, to safeguard sensitive wildlife species, and to provide non-motorized and non-mechanized recreation opportunities outside of recommended or designated Wilderness. We’ve also strongly supported Blackfeet-led efforts to strengthen Forest Service consultation requirements, respect for treaty rights, and put protections in place for cultural resources and uses.
And while we didn’t get everything we sought for in the plan, the final plan contains some pretty good direction, especially for the Badger-Two Medicine.
Before I provide a run down, I want to thank each of you who took the time to attend public meetings, provide testimony, submit written comments and objections, and generally stand up for the Badger-Two Medicine, wildlands, and wildlife throughout this plan revision process. Your participation was critical to the results we were able to achieve! On behalf of the Board of Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, thank you for being a part of this process.
We’d also like to thank the staff of the Forest Service for their years of effort, their painstaking analyses and their public engagement efforts. We know it can be a thankless and difficult task to navigate different public perspectives as well as satisfy myriad law and policy requirements. While we may not agree on all aspects of your decision, we sincerely appreciate your work and look forward to working with you throughout the implementation process to ensure a healthy, wild future for these cherished public lands.
Now for the run down.
Badger-Two Medicine
The new forest plan contains a lot to celebrate for the Badger-Two Medicine. It thoroughly recognized the cultural significance of the landscape to the Blackfeet Nation as well as the outstanding wildland character of the area and its importance to non-tribal communities as well. For these reasons the Forest designated it a special emphasis area to be managed to protect its cultural and ecological values, as well as Blackfeet treaty rights and uses. Significantly, the plan includes enforceable directions for to improved consultation between the Blackfeet Tribe and the Forest Service in the management of the area as well as a clear role for the Tribe in shaping future decisions.
Continuing the good news, the plan includes clear commitments to protect natural ecological processes in the area as well as reinforces the existing travel management restrictions on year-round motorized use. The plan also declared the entire area as unsuitable for commercial timber production. And it identified nearly 60 miles of streams as eligible for inclusion as Wild and Scenic Rivers.
However, there were several places were the plan falls short. The Blackfeet Tribe, GTMA and others sought unsuccessfully to secure a determination that mountain bikes are unsuitable in the Badger-Two Medicine. Such a determination would have helped amend the existing travel management plan – which allows bikes--to better align with Blackfeet cultural values for the area as well as better protect core grizzly bear habitat and wild land character. However, the Forest Service left the door open for the Tribe to resolve the issue in the future through government-to-government consultation.
Also disappointing was the Forest Service’s refusal to return an enforceable standard that was removed from the draft plan which would have prevented adverse effects from forest management activities to the Traditional Cultural District that overlays the Badger-Two Medicine. The Forest Service explained privately they worried the standard would constrain their discretion.
The Rest of the Forest
In a significant win for wild places, the Forest Service recommended seven areas totaling 153,000 acres be designated as Wilderness. This is an increase of 119,000 acres from the existing plans for the Helena and Lewis and Clark National Forests respectively! Importantly, the Forest Service committed to close any trails and routes currently open to motorized or mechanized travel in these areas within three years. The significance of this commitment cannot be overstated. Too often the Forest Service has permitted or turned a blind eye to motorized vehicles or mountain bikes in recommended wilderness. These non-conforming uses then get established and the area is subsequently determined to no longer be eligible for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Unfortunately, several well-deserving areas with high wilderness values failed to be recommended for Wilderness, including the Middle Fork Judiths Wilderness Study Area, Deep Creek/Tenderfoot in the Little Belts, and Camas Creek in the Big Belts. We had supported our partners at Wild Montana and the Sierra Club in advocating for their inclusion in part to protect their wilderness values and in part to provide secure habitat for grizzly bears expanding into the southeastern portion of the forest. The lack of secure habitat in these mountain ranges is a significant barrier to connecting grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem with grizzly bears in Greater Yellowstone, connectivity vital to the species long-term recovery and persistence.
In another blow to grizzly connectivity, the Forest Service refused to extend its existing food storage order to cover the entire forest. Making food and other attractants inaccessible to grizzly bears is vital to prevent conflicts between bears and humans. This common-sense order is necessary to educate forest users about recreating safely in potentially-occupied grizzly bear habitat and to prevent the death of grizzly bears returning to historic range. We are dismayed by the Forest’s decision not to extend this simple order forest-wide.
On a final positive yet wonky note, we were pleased the Forest Service agreed to clarify its rationale for allowing mountain bikes in certain roadless areas of the forest not recommended for wilderness, such as the Badger-Two Medicine. The Forest Service agreed with our objection that it had misinterpreted national direction on the matter as requiring the agency allow bikes in these areas, when in fact the agency had the discretion whether to allow bikes or not. While the language clarification didn’t change anything on the ground, it helped prevent a potentially harmful precedent that could have led to similar areas on national forests across the country being opened to mountain biking that otherwise would not have been.
The Forest Plan will take effect at the end of the month. Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance will continue to work with interested partners, including the Blackfeet Tribe, to monitor its implementation to ensure Forest Service management safeguards the cultural and ecological integrity of the Badger-Two Medicine region.
November Policy Updates
Litigation over Oil and Gas Lease Moves Forward
After months of inaction, the federal district court has decided to allow Solenex to amend its lawsuit challenging the Department of Interior’s 2016 decision to cancel its oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine. As you may recall, when the Circuit Court of Appeals re-instated the lease cancellation decision in June 2020, it remanded the case back to district court for further proceedings on aspects of the case that neither court had yet ruled. Solenex subsequently petitioned the district court to review the case and asked to raise additional arguments. Over the strong objections of our legal team at Earthjustice and the Department of Justice, the judge ruled in favor of Solenex. The case now proceeds to the briefing phase, with all briefs due later this winter.
Joint Secretarial Order on Co-Stewardship Released
As part of the White House Tribal Nations Summit this month which GTMA attended via Zoom, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued exciting new departmental policy directives to expand tribal nations’ role in stewarding federally managed lands and waters. The Joint Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters delineates several important actions their respective bureaus, agencies, and offices must follow in managing land, water, and wildlife that affect tribal nations. These include:
Ensure all decisions consider how to safeguard tribal nation’s rights and interests.
Conduct early, meaningful consultation with tribal governments from the earliest stages of a planning or decision making process.
Seek to incorporate pertinent tribal resource management plans into federal planning, as is commonly done with other jurisdictions, to improve landscape scale conservation and restoration work.
Consider tribal expertise and Indigenous Knowledge in decision making, especially when decisions affect treaty/reserved rights and resources or subsistence use.
Enter into co-stewardship agreements and help build tribal institutional capacity to implement these agreements.
Expedite efforts to consolidate tribal land holdings within Reservation boundaries, including the acquisition and conversion of federal and private lands into trust.
Far too often and for far too long tribal nations have been included too late, too little, or not at all in federal planning and management actions that affect tribal resources, sacred sites, and cultural and religious uses of federal lands and waters. We believe this joint order, however limited in scope, is an important policy corrective that is long overdue. It sends a clear message to federal land managers to make their trust responsibilities a top priority and not just a check-a-box step in a process. If properly implemented, these directives should help ensure a stronger voice for tribal nations in certain federal decisions. And the emphasis on co-stewardship arrangements should help create stronger partnerships between federal and tribal governments that have the potential to improve management outcomes, something that benefits all Americans.
Federal Infrastructure Bill Includes Wildlife Funding
The bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law this month included several key provisions to help wildlife. First and foremost, it included $350 million in dedicated funding for wildlife crossings structures and other highway projects that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. It also made such projects eligible for other transportation program dollars. And it provided assistance to states to more effectively study and prioritize such projects. Approximately 1 million wild animals are struck and killed by vehicles every year in the U.S., collisions that result in over 200 human fatalities and 26,000 injuries. Highway design and traffic volumes further hinder the ability of animals to move across the landscape to find resources, reproduce, or adapt to climate change, with serious repercussions for the long-term survival of many wildlife populations and species like grizzly bears and big horn sheep. The infrastructure bill’s investments in wildlife connectivity is a huge win for wildlife conservation and motorist safety. Thank you, Senator Tester, for championing this important bipartisan legislation!
Spotted Bear Logging Project Proposed
The Flathead National Forest released plans this month for a commercial logging and vegetation management project designed to reduce fuels near the Spotted Bear Ranger Station. The approximately 3,800-acre project, which is mostly within the Wild and Scenic River Corridor of the South Fork Flathead River, seeks to decrease Douglas-fir presence, many of which are dying and improve conditions for ponderosa pine and western larch. Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance has not fully reviewed the proposal but has concerns about possible impacts on water quality, grizzly bear habitat, and scenic character of the river corridor. We encourage all interested persons to submit comments ahead of the Dec. 10th deadline. More information, the complete project proposal, and directions on submitting comments is available on the Flathead National Forest’s website.
Saturday's Fall Gathering Event Now Online
In light of the Blackfeet Incident Command’s latest directive tightening public health measures and warning of a Reservation closure in light of rising cases, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance decided to shift Saturday’s in-person Fall Gathering event with Gov. Bullock online. As much as we want to Gather with all of you, and believe we could pull off a safe Gathering, we do not want to risk contributing to the spread of Covid within our community, to another closure of the Reservation, or to the worsening crisis at overwhelmed hospitals across our state. Erring on the side of caution by staying home and Gathering virtually is the responsible and neighborly thing to do to at this crisis moment.
So what does this mean for the Fall Gathering?
We are happy to refund your ticket if you’d like, just let us know. Otherwise, we’ll credit you with a tax-deductible donation.
We are still going to celebrate the glorious Badger-Two Medicine country all this next week with our great line-up of virtual events, starting with Friday night’s special kick-off event with Dr. Cristina Eisenberg at 7 p.m. It’s going to be amazing.
Governor Bullock’s keynote will be online, followed by live music from Joey Running Crane. Register Here (Free).
Hikes will continue on Sunday as planned.
All items in the fabulous benefit auction will now be available online, including the traditional pie competition between Pat Hagan and Lou Bruno, as well as Frank Vitale’s always popular Badger-Two Medicine Drop Camp.
Thank you for your understanding as we all navigate this challenging pandemic. We look forward to Gathering online with you all this week!
Event Changes due to Covid Resurgence
Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance has been watching the rapid resurgence of Covid cases and increasing hospitalizations around our state with great concern. In light of the discouraging trends, and after consulting with public health officials and extensive internal conversation, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance has made the difficult decision to cancel or modify in-person events effective immediately and lasting through the end of September.
Changes include:
1. Cancelled - The Two Medicine Voices presentation by John Fraley scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 26th. We will reschedule!
2. Cancelled – The IWFF Tour documentary film night scheduled for Sept. 8th. We will reschedule!
3. Modified - The Fall Gathering, scheduled for Sept. 17th - 19th.
a. Friday night’s kick-off with Dr. Cristina Eisenberg will be online-only.
b. Saturday’s main event with former Governor Steve Bullock has been modified. The event will be outside at the Glacier Park Lodge from 3 – 7 p.m.
c. Hikes into the Badger-Two Medicine will still be offered on Sunday, Sept. 19th.
d. The auction fundraiser will be hosted online Sept. 17 – 24 so both virtual and in-person attendees can participate.
e. Additional online-only events will be hosted during the week following the main event—more information coming soon.
If you already registered for the Fall Gathering, you will receive a separate email from us with more information about the changes shortly. If you have not registered, please join us virtually as registration for the main event is FULL.
The Gathering will continue to follow CDC guidelines and Blackfeet public health direction.
We decided to make these changes for the following reasons:
1. As an organization based on the Blackfeet Reservation, we are keenly aware of the impacts Covid has had on Native communities across our country and the successful effort the Blackfeet Nation has made to minimize the worse of the pandemic. We do not want to contribute in any way to the resurgence of Covid in our local community, nor the state, or to another shutdown.
2. In consulting with public health officials, it is clear that indoor, in-person events present the highest risk of spreading the Delta variant, including amongst vaccinated people.
3. With vaccination rates continuing to lag health expert recommendations, schools resuming, and breakthrough cases increasing, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance has decided to err on the side of caution to in order to protect event participants, volunteers, staff, and our community. We’d rather regret our decision to limit in-person events than regret that we did not.
4. By deciding now, we can better offer you a virtual alternative to the Fall Gathering as well as provide you enough time to adjust your plans related to this and other events.
Please know we did not make this decision lightly. We are deeply disappointed, as I’m sure you are, that we find ourselves in this situation again. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and your continued support as we all navigate this resurgence of the pandemic. If you are struggling with the effects of the pandemic, please remember you are not alone. There are resources available to help.
We will get through this together, it might just take a bit longer than we had hoped. Take care of one another.
Please note, this decision does not affect the remaining Glacier-Two Medicine Walks we have scheduled – Elkcalf on Aug. 31 & Buffalo Lakes on Sept. 11th – nor the Walks at the Fall Gathering.
Snowmobiles Trespassing in the Badger-Two Medicine
Bunker Park Cabins
The Flathead National Forest has proposed to build new rental cabins on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness without analyzing the impacts these cabins pose to big game, grizzly bears, and other sensitive species, or the potential for snowmobiles to illegally access the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The public has until April 6th to submit comments (see below).
The Proposal
The Spotted Bear Ranger District proposes to convert a free, primitive campground at Bunker Park on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness to a rental cabin complex featuring four new six-person cabins and associated gravel parking areas, three trailer pads, a new livestock corral, a well, kiosk, toilet, river barricade, and a children’s playground. The cabins would be available for rent from mid May to the end of March. This proposed project will essentially replace the existing free camping opportunities at Bunker Park which are traditionally used for freestanding tent and trailer camping. This project will create a new destination for visitors to a remote, relatively unvisited part of the forest, showing up not only as an area of rental cabins of recreation.gov, but also as a campground on the official maps. The Forest Service proposes to conduct the project as a categorical exclusion, bypassing any analysis of the potential environmental impacts.
Our View
Illegal snowmobile use in the Badger-Two Medicine area on March 13th. Snowmobile trespass into closed areas like the Badger-Two Medicine is widespread and often goes unchecked by the Forest Service. The proposed cabins at Bunker Park would facilitate trespass into the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance opposes the Forest Service moving forward with the project until more information about the potential consequences are released to the public and appropriately analyzed. Our main concern is that the project will increase snowmobile use in the area and along with that, the potential for unregulated motorized trespass, particularly by snowmobiles, into the Bob Marshall and the adjacent Bunker-Alcove recommended wilderness as snowmobilers could use the cabins as a fuel cache to facilitate longer trips. The Bunker-Alcove area provides important winter habitat for elk and mountain goats. The area is also critical Lynx habitat and core grizzly bear habitat, both species that could be impacted by increased snowmobile use.
Executive Director Peter Metcalf explains, “Snowmobile trespass into closed areas of our national forests threatens sensitive wildlife species and disrupts the opportunity for other people to enjoy quiet winter recreation. Until the Forest Service can get a handle on snowmobile trespass, it should not be inviting more of the same by building cabins in a remote location where access to closed areas is easy and enforcement is difficult. The Forest Service especially should not do so without fully analyzing the effects of the project. We ask the Forest Service to extend the public comment period until May 21st and to conduct an environmental assessment as required by law.”
What You Can Do
We encourage you to submit a comment opposing the proposed project. In your comment, please ask the Forest Service to extend the 30-day public comment period to 75 days, and to conduct an appropriate environmental analysis of the project.
More information about the project is available from the Forest Service here.
Comments can be submitted via email at: comments-northern-flathead-spotted-bear@usda.gov
Representative Deb Haaland's Historic Nomination
Sen. Daines: It's Time to Support Rep. Haaland as Interior Secretary
Ahead of February 23rd’s scheduled confirmation hearing for Secretary of Interior, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance sent the following letter to Sen. Steve Daines urging him to support Rep. Haaland’s historic nomination.
February 22, 2021
Dear Senator Daines,
On behalf of Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, I’m writing to urge you to reconsider your stated opposition to the nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland as the next Secretary of the Department of Interior. Rep. Haaland should be confirmed as our nation’s first-ever Native American to hold a Cabinet Secretary position.
As a grassroots conservation organization based in East Glacier Park on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, we know firsthand the outsized role the Department of Interior has in managing lands, waters and wildlife important to Montana’s beloved way of life and vibrant outdoor economy. We also see the incredible strains they are facing from climate change, exploding recreation, rampant resource development, and loss of biodiversity. As a Westerner from New Mexico with deep roots in the soil, Rep. Haaland understands the ecological, economic, recreational, and cultural importance of public lands to many different communities. This context will undoubtedly aid her in addressing the most pressing challenges our public lands face in a fair and balanced way.
We also recognize the significance of her nomination to be the first-ever Native American Cabinet Secretary in America’s history, especially to Native American people and Tribal nations. Finally, someone who personally understands the challenges, needs, and issues facing Indian Country will be able to influence the federal government’s response at the highest levels. For the past four years, the federal government has been particularly derelict in carrying out its treaty and trust obligations to tribes, including regularly neglecting to consult with Tribal nations before undertaking federal actions that affect tribal resources, lands, and people. As a Laguna Pueblo woman, Rep. Haaland is distinctively positioned to bring badly needed reforms for how the federal government upholds its trust responsibilities going forward.
Your stated reasons for opposing Rep. Haaland are particularly hard to comprehend in light of your unwillingness to oppose an anti-public lands zealot in William Perry Pendley as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management. Mr. Pendley was an avowed opponent of federal ownership of public lands, the very lands he was responsible to manage. His opposition to tribal rights and interests was extensive and appalling, including dogmatically seeking to drill the Badger-Two Medicine, lands sacred to the Blackfeet Nation. He had conflicts of interest miles long. He undermined locally crafted solutions for backcountry areas on BLM lands in central Montana – the very type of collaborative solutions you like to champion. A federal judge determined Pendley’s appointment violated both statute and the Constitution. Yet you did not speak out. Not once. Instead you downplayed his record and minimized the public’s concerns. Throughout your career we’ve wanted to believe you when you say you’re a champion for conservation and public lands. It’s really hard to believe you right now.
Senator Daines, it’s okay, even admirable, to change your mind. Now is the right time to do so. As the Secretary of Interior, Rep. Haaland will capably steward our nation’s lands, waters, and resources so Montanans from all walks of life can continue to enjoy and benefit from them, both now, and for generations to come. Please drop your opposition and support her historic nomination.
Please contact Senator Daines and ask him to support Rep. Haaland’s nomination:
Click Here to Email (you’ll be sent to his official site)
Call his Washington, DC office: (202) 224-2651
Help Improve the Railroad's Grizzly Bear Plan
Freight and passenger trains chugging past the southern boundary of Glacier National Park continue to pose a major threat to the recovery of grizzly bears in region, accounting for 11% of all human-caused grizzly bear deaths in the region over the past 28 years. Typically, such deaths occur when bears are attracted to the right-of-way to feed on spilled grain, wildlife or livestock carcasses, human garbage, or seasonal vegetation growing near the tracks.
Photo: Montana Free Press
Last month, after years of wrangling and delay, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad finally submitted a formal Habitat Conservation Plan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which outlines the measures the company will take to reduce the impact of its operations on grizzly bears in a 206 mile corridor between Shelby and Sryker.
Limiting the number of bears killed by people, including with trains, is critical to the successful recovery of grizzly bears. Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance believes the commitments outlined in the HCP will aid in that effort. For that, BNSF deserves to be commended. However, we believe there are a number of reasonable changes the company should make to the plan before it is approved.
We encourage you to submit comments on the plan before 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Feb. 11th deadline. Comments can be submitted online or mailed to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Headquarters
Public Comments Processing
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2019-0010
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
What does the HCP do?
The HCP lays out a series of actions that BNSF agrees to take to limit and mitigate the impacts of its operations on grizzly bears. In exchange, BNSF will receive an Incidental Take Permit to inadvertently kill upwards of 18 bears over the next seven years.
As part of the plan, the railway will continue to implement 13 existing “minimization measures” that have been successful at limiting the number of bears killed by trains. Several of these measures ensure grizzly bear strikes are documented and investigated properly. The remainder layout procedures for reducing or removing attractants that draw bears to the railway right-of-way, such as minimizing and rapid clean-up of grain spillage, monitoring and removing animal carcasses, preventing the spillage of human garbage, and managing certain vegetative food sources.
The HCP also establishes a mitigation program to offset the loss of female grizzly bears that are killed by trains. Females account for a disproportionate number of train-caused mortalities and their loss is particularly problematic to maintaining a viable bear population. The primary mitigation measure is funding for three grizzly bear technicians – two for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and one for the Blackfeet Nation. BNSF will also contribute additional funds to grizzly management, including for radio collars ($60,000), remote cameras ($20,000), bear resistant garbage containers ($30,000), fencing ($88,000), and bear hunter education ($11,000).
The HCP will be administered by the Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation, the foundation arm of MFWP. A technical committee comprised of representatives from BNSF, Amtrak, MFWP, and the Blackfeet Nation will monitor and review compliance. Crucially, if grizzly bear mortality exceeds plan thresholds for two consecutive years, the technical committee may require additional mitigation and minimization steps to be taken, financed by a $1 million reserve fund BNSF will create.
Our Assessment
While there are a lot of improvements we’d like to see, the HCP should, on the whole, benefit grizzly bear recovery efforts. The railroad’s commitment to maintain current practices should help keep the number of bears hit by trains at the lower levels seen in recent years (save for 2019), levels the population has demonstrated it can withstand.
The best part of the plan is the guaranteed funding BNSF will provide for three grizzly bear technicians. The lack of reliable funding for such positions has continually hindered grizzly bear recovery. These additional positions will help FWP and the Blackfeet Nation limit conflicts and improve coexistence between bears and people, particularly in areas where grizzlies are expanding their range. We also appreciate adaptive management approach that allows plan modifications based on monitoring mortality incidents, as well as the inclusion of $1 million reserve fund that can finance additional actions that may be necessary to limit grizzly mortality.
That said, we find the mortality thresholds in the plan deeply troubling. Under the plan, trains could kill 2.6 bears per year, which is an increase from the 2.1 bears trains have typically killed per year over the past 15 years. You read that right—a plan designed to limit grizzly bear mortality actually permits higher mortality.
The plan’s other mortality thresholds—train-caused deaths will account for no more than 12% of all human caused mortality in the NCDE or 22% of all human caused female mortality—are (with a couple exceptions) also substantially higher than the level attributed to trains during the last 15 years. The plan suggests these higher thresholds are warranted because the NCDE grizzly population as a whole is growing. However, no evidence about the grizzly population in the corridor – the bears most likely to be hit – is referenced. While such finer scale population data is limited, recent population analyses conducted by the US Geologic Survey suggest bear density in the corridor is most likely stable, not increasing, especially in areas around Glacier National Park. Thus, we are worried the plan could lead to elevated levels of female mortality in the core of the grizzly population without triggering corrective action.
Suggestions for Improvement
Here are our top five ways to improve the HCP.
#1 — Tighten Incidental Take Thresholds – The Incidental Take Thresholds (p. 28) should be adjusted to reflect more recent historical trends. The inclusion of data from the 1990s and early 2000s, when grain spills and grizzly deaths were higher, improperly inflates the thresholds because it does not reflect reasonably foreseeable future conditions. If BNSF truly wants to be a good corporate citizen and partner in grizzly bear recovery efforts, it should not ask for a permit that allows for an increase in take above recent historical levels.
#2 — Greater Public Accountability – We’d like to see better public accountability measures built into the plan. All MOLF and/or technical committee meetings should be open to the public and any data collected, as well as reports or other documents produced through HCP implementation should be made available on the MOLF website for public review. This would help BNSF showcase the good work it is doing as well as instill public trust and confidence in the process. To that end, we further suggest an independent, grizzly bear biologist as well a member of the public knowledgeable about grizzly bear policy and management be included on the committee.
#3 - Faster Livestock Exclusion – In MN-9 (p. 38) the company commits to work with adjacent ranchers and landowners to control livestock “if a pattern of livestock collisions is identified.” While the approach is right, the language is too vague and reactionary. The company should proactively work with ranchers and landowners to identify areas where cattle can access the tracks and then take steps prevent that access before a cow becomes a carcass. Furthermore, any fencing improvements warranted need to happen as soon as practicable, not within the one year of an incident as the plan currently allows.
#4—Monitor Wildlife Loss -- In MN-10 & MN-11 (p. 39), the railway makes positive commitments to remove wildlife carrion from the right of way as well as to conduct a spring sweep for any carcasses missed over the winter. We suggest that BNSF should, as a part of this process, also document the location and species of all carcasses. This data could identify any hotspots where wildlife is routinely struck and help inform additional measures that could be taken both to reduce the availability of these attractants for bears as well as to minimize the loss of wildlife to railroad operations generally.
#5 —Commit to Potential Operational Adjustments – A major limitation of the HCP is the outright dismissal of any potential operational changes to the railroad beyond a vague commitment to “explore new technologies” to prevent bears from accessing the track where escape is difficult. Research in Banff National Park, Canada – where train strikes are also a major issue – indicates grizzly mortality is closely associated with train speed and track curvature (i.e. sight and sound distance) and that reducing speeds in places and times where bears are active, or installing early warning systems that alert bears to oncoming trains, can reduce mortality. In the event mortality thresholds are exceeded for two consecutive years, the HCP should authorize the technical committee to consider, and require if warranted, these types of adjustments in order to limit future mortality.
Thank you for taking time to comment in support of grizzly bear recovery.
Celebrating some this year's accomplishments
Without a doubt, 2020 has been an incredibly difficult year in many respects. Despite the myriad challenges and necessary adjustments (Zoom anyone?), we stayed focused on our mission to protect the culturally and ecologically irreplaceable Badger-Two Medicine and its interconnected ecosystems. As we happily bid adieu to 2020, here’s nine accomplishments we’re celebrating:
A strong final draft of the revised Forest Plan
In May, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest released the final draft of its forthcoming Forest Plan, which will guide management of the entire 2.8-million-acre forest, including the Badger-Two Medicine, for the next 20 – 30 years. While the plan incorporated many of the protections we’d advocated for in earlier drafts, some improvements are needed, such as stronger protections for the integrity of the existing Traditional Cultural District and restrictions on mechanized uses in the Badger-Two Medicine. With your help, we’ve been working through the objections process to strengthen the plan. A final decision is expected in late winter.
The cancellation of the LAST oil and gas lease
In June, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in our favor and upheld the Department of Interior’s 2016 decision to cancel the oil and gas lease held by Solenex, LLC of Louisiana. For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Badger-Two Medicine is free of oil and gas leases. However, it was only a partial victory. The circuit court remanded the case to a lower court to resolve any remaining legal issues. The former-lease holder is moving aggressively to again challenge the cancellation decision in quixotic hope of one day drilling this ecologically and culturally sensitive landscape.
introduction of the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act of 2020
In July, Senator Jon Tester introduced the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act, which would finally protect the cultural and ecological integrity of these national forest lands. The bill would also safeguard public access, secure Blackfeet reserved treaty rights, and ensure the Blackfeet Nation has a meaningful co-stewardship role in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. The bill garnered strong support from both tribal and conservation organizations and communities. However, it did not receive a hearing and will need to be re-introduced in 2021.
Safe recreation opportunities on public lands
Public lands like the Badger-Two Medicine and Glacier National Park revealed their importance to community health and well-being throughout this pandemic. For many people, a socially-distanced outing on public lands was one of the few ways to “feel normal” and safely enjoyed time with family or friends, or just get a break from the house. We are grateful we could lead a pair of organized winter outings back “Before Covid” and we look forward to the resumption of organized outings this coming summer!
Good recommendations from the Governor’s Grizzly Bear Advisory Committee
In August, the Governor’s Grizzly Bear Advisory Committee released recommendations to guide future state-management of grizzly bears. We are grateful the committee adopted a number of our recommendations, including a stronger emphasis on managing for genetic and demographic connections between existing grizzly bear populations, promoting coexistence between bears and people, and non-lethal conflict mitigation strategies. The three C’s--Connectivity, Coexistence, Conflict Mitigation—are all critical to the long-term recovery of our official state mammal.
The end of William Perry Pendley’s unlawful tenure at BLM
For most of 2020, William Perry Pendley, the former lawyer for Solenex, acted as the de facto head of the Bureau of Land Management in violation of the US Constitution and federal law. Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance joined hundreds of other conservation, tribal interest, and social justice organizations across the country calling for his removal due to his abysmal record on public lands and Native American rights. Despite a court order that Pendley to stop acting as head of the BLM unless confirmed by the Senate, his compliance is unclear. Thankfully his tenure will be over in three weeks. And, in a stroke of poetic justice, repairing the once-proud agency will likely fall to Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), who, if confirmed, will become the first Native American to run the Department of Interior, which houses the BLM.
Dedicated Board Service
Boards are often the hidden heroes of non-profit organizations. A big shout of gratitude to the incredibly dedicated board members of Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance who collectively contribute so much time, treasure, and energy to this effort. This year the Board worked to update and develop our governing documents and processes, helped organize the “Wish You Were Here” Fall Gathering, advocated tirelessly for permanent protection legislation, led organized outings, helped develop comments on state, Forest Service, and Park Service decision documents, and so much more. And they (mostly) figured out how to Zoom with aplomb. We wouldn’t be where we are without their effort. Thank you.
Our Incredible Community of Supporters
That means you! None of what we do is possible without your involvement. Thank you for all you do: spreading the word, contacting elected officials, writing letters to the editor, attending public meetings, volunteering, and making financial contributions that make so much of what we do possible. Thank you too for all the encouraging words this year; they really help keep us going. You are incredible. We look forward to sharing time with you on a trail, a zoom room, a film festival, a rally, or the Fall Gathering next year.
Vaccines
Okay, so we obviously had absolutely nothing to do with their development. Still, we are incredibly grateful for them and the promise that the pandemic may be entering its final phase. We couldn’t be more excited to once again gather responsibly in-person. But until then, stay masked, stay distant (but keep in touch), and stay healthy!
Looking forward to continuing this good work with all of you, the Blackfeet Nation, our conservation partners and many others in the coming year. And with that, we say “Good riddance 2020. Hello 2021. Are we ever glad to welcome you in!”
In renewed legal action, Solenex seeks to overturn cancellation of lease in Badger-Two Medicine
This past week Louisiana-based Solenex, LLC renewed in earnest its years-long legal effort to develop an oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area outside Glacier National Park. The company’s latest effort to drill lands considered sacred by the Blackfeet Nation comes nearly six months after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Department of Interior’s 2016 decision to cancel the lease.
The Circuit Court then remanded the case back to the District Court to resolve any outstanding legal issues. After allowing deadlines to appeal the Circuit Court decision to pass, including to the Supreme Court, Solenex has now petitioned the District Court to again consider whether the Secretary of Interior overstepped her authority when she canceled the lease, as well as other arguments it raised previously but the courts have declined to address.
Solenex then went a step further and filed a whole new lawsuit. The new suit challenges the Forest Service’s 2014 determination that any development of the lease threatened the integrity of the Blackfeet’s Traditional Cultural District that overlays the entire Badger-Two Medicine as well as the Interior Department’s corresponding determination that the effects of development could not be mitigated. The federal government’s determinations were based on extensive analysis of ethnographic data and testimony from Blackfeet traditionalists who have repeatedly, and patiently, maintained that the area’s spiritual power and cultural value reside in the unity of the land. Both would be irrevocably diminished or entirely lost if the area is divided into discrete sections of sacred and mundane as Solenex (and Western worldviews generally) want to do.
Ironically, the new suit also names William Perry Pendley in his official capacity as one of the defendants. Pendley, of course, represented Solenex earlier in these same legal proceedings when he was head of Mountain States Legal Foundation before leaving Mountain States to become Deputy Director for Policy and Programs at the Bureau of Land Management and the de facto head of the agency. Although Pendley officially recused himself from all matters pertaining to Solenex last year, his naming underscores why we believe he cannot be allowed to deny a judge’s order and continue to illegally lead the BLM.
Our Reaction
Fighting another round in this legal boxing match is certainly disappointing, but it is sadly not unexpected. Solenex and its legal team at Mountain States Legal Foundation have strongly indicated their intention to continue trading blows and have shown no interest in potential out of court settlements. The passing of company founder and patriarch Sidney Longwell in March only seems to have strengthened their resolve to stay in the ring long after every other company did the right thing and relinquished their leases in the area.
As we have since this all started in the early 1980s, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance will continue to staunchly oppose any attempt to industrialize these incredible wild lands. Tribal sacred lands, pristine headwater streams, and outstanding wildlife habitat next to one of the nation’s most iconic national parks should not, and cannot, be developed into an industrial oil patch.
With excellent representation from Earthjustice, we will continue to intervene in support of the federal government and defend the cancellation of this lease. The Piikuni Traditionalists Association, the Blackfeet Headwaters Alliance, Montana Wilderness Association,, The National Parks Conservation Association, and The Wilderness Society continue to partner with us in this effort. Although justice may be delayed for the Blackfeet Nation, for the land, water and animals, and for everyone who would be adversely impacted should this lease be developed, we remain confident that justice will prevail and this lease will finally be retired permanently.
The Road Ahead
So where do we go from here? Last week, the district court judge issued a briefing schedule for what remains of Solenex’s existing lawsuit. The schedule moves the case expeditiously forward over the next six months. The judge has not yet indicated whether or not he will accept the new lawsuit, as is his discretion to do. Our legal team is moving to dismiss the new lawsuit on grounds that Solenex should have raised these arguments in its original suit years ago. We will keep you posted on any and all developments.
How You Can Help
Our sustained legal defense depends in large part on the generosity of individual donors. Please consider a gift of whatever amount fits your budget to support this effort today. Thank you!
Secure Trail Maintenance Funding and Defend the LWCF
This summer we celebrated the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), which addresses the massive backlog in deferred maintenance projects on our National Parks, National Forests, and other federal public lands, as well as permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (the LWCF is one of our best tools for conserving fish and wildlife habitat as well as securing outdoor recreation opportunities). Unfortunately, this landmark legislation is already being undermined by the Trump Administration.
Can you take a minute today to help secure funding for deferred trail maintenance in the Bob Marshall and Badger-Two Medicine areas as well as to protect the LWCF?
Please take a minute and contact Senator Daines (email; phone: 202-224-2651) and Senator Tester (email; phone: 202-224-2644) and share with them the following:
Please ask Sen. Daines and Sen. Tester, both of whom sit on the appropriations committee, to ensure Congress appropriates the full $1.1 million requested to conduct badly needed trail maintenance in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and adjacent areas, including the Badger-Two Medicine. While the Department of Agriculture has identified this project as a priority for GAOA funding (Hooray!), the Department has apparently failed to indicate how much funding the project should actually receive. Appropriating the full $1.1 million requested is critical to maintaining our crumbling backcountry trail infrastructure.
Please thank Sen. Tester and Sen. Daines for publicly pushing back against Secretary Bernhardt’s attempt to undermine Congressional-intent in how the Land and Water Conservation Fund operates. Senator Tester issued a letter sharply criticizing Bernhadt’s Order, which undercuts the ability of private landowners to sell their land to the federal government, and it deprioritizes the Bureau of Land Management as a recipient of LWCF funding. Sen. Daines, who co-sponsored the legislation, has also criticized Sec. Bernhardt’s order publicly, only not quite as forcefully as Sen. Tester. Please encourage both of Montana’s Senators to continue to push back against the Administration’s latest attempt to kneecap the LWCF.
Thank you for taking a minute to speak up on behalf maintaining backcountry trails in the Bob Marshall and Badger-Two Medicine country and conserving Montana’s open spaces.
P.S. Want more information? You can read Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance’s original comments in favor of funding the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Adjacent Lands project here. More information about this and other regional projects is available on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest website. Secretary Bernhardt's Order is available here. Senator Tester's letter of rebuke is available here.
Pendley Still Needs to Go
Amidst all the election headlines, it would be easy to miss that William Perry Pendley continues to function as the de facto Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in open defiance of a recent federal court ruling that he was doing so unlawfully and must immediately step aside. Not only is Pendley patently unqualified to lead the nation’s largest land management agency, his presence now undermines the rule of law.
That’s why Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance supports the Public Lands Leadership Act, which is sponsored by six senators, including Sen. Jon Tester. We strongly encourage Sen. Daines to support this legislation too. Please call Sen. Tester to express support and to contact Senator Daines, or your home state Senator, to ask them to publicly support it as well.
What the Public Lands Leadership Act Would Do
William Perry Pendley
The Public Lands Leadership Act would prevent the Department of Justice from appealing U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris’ Sept. 25th ruling that Pendley can no longer exercise any authorities of the Director of BLM until he is confirmed to the position by the U.S. Senate as required by the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Pendley was initially elevated to Acting Director by Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on July 30th, 2019. Bernhardt has repeatedly issued subsequent extensions of Pendley’s authority to act as Director. While President Trump did nominate Pendley this past July, the nomination was withdrawn in September. Judge Morris ruled this process violated both the Constitution as well as the Federal Vacancies Reform Act which limits temporary appointments to maximum of 210 days. At the time of Judge Morris’ order, Pendley had served for 424 consecutive days. Pendley has openly disavowed the order and as of Nov. 9th, the BLM website continued to list him as exercising the authorities of the Director. Passage of the Act would align the legislative and judicial branches in checking this abuse of power by the executive branch and ratchet up pressure on the Trump Administration to get rid of Pendley.
Why Glacier – Two Medicine Alliance Opposes Mr. Pendley
Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance opposes Mr. Pendley leadership at the BLM because we’ve witnessed firsthand that he is wholly unqualified to manage public lands or carry out the Federal trust responsibility to Native Nations. Prior to joining the BLM, Pendley represented Solenex, one of the leaseholders who continued to try and drill in the Badger-Two Medicine in violation of federal environmental laws and the wishes of the Blackfeet Nation. After the Department of Interior cancelled the Solenex lease, Pendley led Solenex’s sued the Department (where he now works) to overturn the decision. Throughout this long legal fight, Pendley has repeatedly minimized and disparaged the cultural and spiritual significance of the landscape to Blackfeet. He has also argued that Solenex’s energy lease constituted a property right that supersedes Blackfeet treaty rights and the public conservation concerns, even though their lease had been issued in violation of federal environmental laws and without proper consultation with the Blackfeet. This is but one of the many conflicts of interests (17 pages worth!) from which Pendley has had to recuse himself, primarily due to his career as a legal advocate for fossil fuels and other extractive industries.
Pendley’s Record is Disqualifying
Pendley’s disqualifying resume extends way beyond the Badger-Two Medicine. He is diametrically opposed to the mission of the agency he is tasked with leading; he has advocated for the privatization of the public lands he now manages, as well as opposed many of the bedrock environmental laws by which he is supposed to manage them. He pushed for even deeper cuts to the Bears Ears and other national monuments than Sec. Ryan Zink proposed and has called for the Antiquities Act to be repealed. Pendley also denies climate change and characterizes climate science as “junk science.” Furthermore, he has a long history of inflammatory comments and opposition to tribal rights and interests, as well as sacred site protections, such as for Bighorn Medicine Wheel in northern Wyoming. His history indicates he cannot carry out his federal trust responsibility to tribes fairly. Similarly, his flippant disregard for the concerns and perspectives of minorities is so abysmal that dozens of civil rights and social justice organizations signed a letter opposing his nomination, a somewhat unusual move for a BLM Director.
Since taking over at BLM, Pendley has worked to benefit the oil and gas industry that he long represented as a lawyer. He has treated drilling and mining as dominant uses of BLM lands, minimized public and tribal involvement in decision making, weakened agency protections for critical wildlife habitat, and sidelined outdoor recreation. He also ordered agency headquarters relocated to western Colorado, which has resulted in an exodus of qualified staff and gaping vacancies that threaten the effectiveness of the agency.
Take Action to Remove Pendley
Pendley cannot be allowed to disavow a federal court order and run out the clock. To do so, undermines the rule of law, establishes a terrible precedent, and allows Pendley to potentially do greater damage to our public lands and the integrity of the BLM. Please call Senator Daines your home state Senator, and ask them to stand-up for the Constitution and our public lands by voicing their support for the Public Lands Leadership Act and the immediate removal of Pendley the BLM.
Senator Daines: (202) 224 - 2651
Senator Tester: (202) 224 - 2644
Senator Tester Introduces Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act
Montana’s senior Senator, Jon Tester has just announced he will introduce the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act into Congress!
His bill is nearly identical to proposed legislation endorsed and shared by the Blackfeet Nation last month, which was drafted in partnership with Blackfeet leaders, non-tribal neighbors, hunters, anglers, conservationists, and local landowners.
Here is what our Executive Director, Peter Metcalf, said about today’s exciting news:
“The Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance would like to sincerely thank Senator Tester for introducing The Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act today. This bill accurately reflects the shared vision the Blackfeet Nation, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance and so many other Montanans worked together to carefully craft for these cherished lands.
This bill will safeguard the area’s preeminent wildlife habitat and sparkling waters, honor Blackfeet rights and cultural connections, and ensure all Montanans can continue to enjoy this remarkable area as they do now. We are excited to see our long-held desire for permanent protection move one step closer to fruition. We look forward to working with the entire Montana delegation to pass this bill and to add the Badger-Two Medicine to Montana’s proud public lands conservation legacy."
We would also like to thank all of our supporters and members who contacted Senator Tester’s office and asked him to introduce this legislation. Our next big step is to get Montana’s entire delegation to support The Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act. Only by working together can we get this over the finish line.
For more information on today’s announcement from:
Senator Tester
The Blackfeet Nation
Badger-Two Medicine Coalition
Popping the Hood on the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act
There has been plenty of buzz and excitement about the proposed Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act. Here at Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, we have been receiving lots of interest and quite a few questions about the legislation. For those who want to pop the hood and take a closer look, this blog is for you!
How did it come about?
The proposed Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act is the result of several years of kitchen table conversations between the Blackfeet Tribe, elected officials, conservationists, hunters and anglers, landowners, outfitters, business owners, recreationists and many other people up and down the Front and throughout Montana. Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance has been deeply involved in its development. It was tailored to the unique characteristics of the Badger-Two Medicine and designed by people who know and care for the area.
What would it protect?
The bill seeks to mostly keep the area the way it is today – as an undeveloped landscape where wildlife and natural processes flourish, where Blackfeet people can practice culture and ceremony, and where all people can continue to hike, hunt, ride horses, or otherwise enjoy the area as they have for generations. Toward that end, it explicitly directs the Forest Service to protect the ecological integrity of 130,000 acres of forest lands, including fish and wildlife habitat and migration corridors. It also directs the agency to maintain water quality and the free-flowing character of over 60 miles of rivers and streams.
To further these outcomes, road building and commercial timber harvest would be prohibited as would motorized travel (which has been off limits since 2009). Construction of dams, water diversions and significant new permanent structures like utility lines or building would likewise be banned. At the same time, the Forest Service could still conduct non-commercial vegetation management projects to address hazardous fuels and weeds or for ecological restoration purposes. Wildfires could continue to be managed as well. All told, these provisions provide strong ecological protections similar to Wilderness or National Park designations and will ensure native species and natural processes continue to thrive in a wild, undeveloped Badger-Two Medicine.
What is a Cultural Heritage Area?
The Act would designate the Badger-Two Medicine as a Cultural Heritage Area, a name chosen to reflect both its cultural significance to Blackfeet people and its importance to the outdoor heritage of non-tribal communities throughout our region. The Cultural Heritage Area is intended to help maintain the cultural integrity of the area so Blackfeet people can continue to practice their cultural traditions and spirituality here as they have for untold generations. It does so by enhancing and making permanent the values and attributes of the existing Traditional Cultural District (TCD) designation. It would also close the area to all forms of mechanized transport, including mountain bikes and drones, modern modes of transportation the Blackfeet have deemed incompatible with the cultural values and integrity of the area.
What outdoor uses are protected?
The proposal would safeguard public access for well-established recreational activities like hiking, hunting, fishing, horse packing, camping, or wildlife viewing. Access by Tribal members for traditional cultural activities would likewise be protected. Chainsaws would be allowed for management and for the public so people can continue to gather firewood or treaty-reserved forest products in the area as they do now. Similarly, the act would have no effect on existing grazing management. Other permitted uses, like outfitting and guiding, would likewise continue under this proposal. All valid, existing rights such as water rights and treaty rights would not be affected. Nor would private property, which is excluded from the proposed Cultural Heritage Area.
How would the Blackfeet assist in managing the Cultural Heritage Area?
The Forest Service would manage the Cultural Heritage Area as part of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, however the Blackfeet Tribe would have a more defined role and more skin in the game. Primarily this would entail assisting the Forest Service in developing the management plan for the area and advising the agency through routine consultation.
Furthermore, any new ground disturbing activities proposed in the Cultural Heritage Area would require tribal consent in addition to other environmental analyses and public participation requirements before the activity could go ahead. Additionally, the Forest Service could, if it desired, contract the Tribe to conduct certain activities, like trail maintenance, cultural resource inventories, or public interpretation programs within the Cultural Heritage Area. Finally, the proposal directs the agency to create a citizen’s advisory committee to guide the development and implementation of the management plan. This management framework is designed to ensure robust, inclusive, and accountable management of the Cultural Heritage Area.
In this way, the proposed legislation is a model for how the interests of conservation and the interests of tribal nations can be interwoven in a respectful and mutually supportive manner.
How does this fit in with past conservation efforts?
The legislation will add immensely to Montana’s conservation legacy and outdoor heritage This bill would complete the protection of the last 28 miles of the Rocky Mountain Front, creating a conservation corridor from the Bob Marshall to Glacier National Park.
What are the next steps?
For any of this to happen we need this proposal introduced in Congress. Your voice is critical to making this happen. Please visit our action center for how to help and sign our letter to the Montana delegation requesting swift introduce of this legislation.
Also, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance would love to hear your thoughts on the proposal, additional questions you may have, or other feedback.
Blackfeet Tribe Seeks Permanent Protections for Badger-Two Medicine!
On the heels of last week’s oil and gas victory comes an exciting new development that will permanently protect the Badger-Two Medicine once and for all! Read all about it in today’s Hungry Horse News. Here is more perspective from our Executive Director, Peter Metcalf:
“Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance is excited to express our support for the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act and are grateful to have worked with Blackfeet and so many other Montanans in its development. This proposal provides strong protections for our world-class wildlife habitat and our clean, free, flowing rivers. It guarantees public access for hiking, horseback riding, hunting and fishing, and it ensures the Blackfeet Tribe has a stronger voice in the management of their sacred lands. In short, it’s a proposal that is good for the land, good for Blackfeet, and good for our kids. We applaud the Blackfeet Tribe for their leadership in crafting this unifying vision and look forward to helping secure the support of our entire Congressional delegation to move it across the finish line.”
Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance will follow-up soon with more information about this exciting development and discuss ways our members and supporters can get involved. Stay tuned!
Read the complete press release from the Blackfeet Nation here.
Read the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act here.
