Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) sent a letter to the Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Martha Williams, requesting information regarding an unprecedented and covert action being undertaken by the service, in conjunction with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Nature Conservancy, and potentially other NGOs and private actors, to substantially limit public and private use of 5.8 million acres in Montana under the guise of “conservation.”
“This is a topic that significantly affects Montanans,” said Rep. Rosendale. “Having one of the largest proposed conservation areas in the nation’s history go on without any public comment or even being known to anyone outside the group plotting this land grab is disgraceful.”
“This has been going on for several months, if not longer, with no public notice or available information on the USFWS website, despite the USFWS name and logo being prominent on the map of this MHCA.”
Key background:
Rep. Rosendale’s office has become aware that the Fish and Wildlife Service, either with or in consultation with private and NGO partners have been in contact with officials in Silver Bow, Deer Lodge, Beaverhead and Madison Counties to gain local and county support for establishing a “Missouri Headwaters Conservation Area” (MHCA).
These meetings and actions have been taking place without any input from the broader constituency residing in those areas.
Despite no public notice or available information on the USFWS website, the USFWS service’s name and logo are prominent on the planned map of the MHCA.
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