Montana Bill Releases Over 100,000 Acres of Public Land from Wilderness Study Status, Prioritizing Sportsmen Access and Fire Mitigation

The “Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act” is a bill focused on changing the management status of over 100,000 acres of public land currently designated as Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Montana. Specifically, the bill releases the 81,000-acre Middle Fork Judith WSA, the 11,380-acre Hoodoo Mountain WSA, and the 11,580-acre Wales Creek WSA from their existing study requirements (SEC. 3). The core action here is straightforward: removing the “study” designation means these lands are no longer being held in a near-wilderness status pending a final decision from Congress.

What’s the Deal with Wilderness Study Areas?

Think of a Wilderness Study Area as public land placed in a holding pattern. Since the 1970s, Congress tasked the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with studying certain lands to see if they were suitable for permanent wilderness designation. While they are being studied, these areas are generally managed to maintain their wilderness characteristics—meaning limited or no motorized access, no new roads, and no development. The bill’s findings section points out that the federal agencies completed their studies decades ago and repeatedly found these specific areas unsuitable for formal wilderness designation (SEC. 2). Now, this bill acts on those findings, officially ending the temporary protection status for these three tracts.

The Shift to “Multiple Use” Management

Once released, the land will no longer be managed under the strict requirements of the Wilderness Study Acts (SEC. 3). Instead, the Forest Service and BLM will manage them according to their most recent Land and Resource Management Plans. The bill argues that this shift will allow managers to better conserve the land and implement projects, including enhanced opportunities for sportsmen, improved public access, wildlife habitat projects, and—crucially—wildfire mitigation efforts (SEC. 2). For the average person who uses these lands, this could mean more flexibility. For instance, if you’re a hunter or an off-road enthusiast, the new management plans might allow for improved trail access or the use of motorized vehicles in areas previously restricted under the WSA rules. If you live near these areas, the ability for the Forest Service to actively manage vegetation for fire mitigation could be a significant benefit.

The Trade-Off: Clarity vs. Preservation

While the bill brings management clarity and allows for needed projects like fire breaks, it’s important to understand the trade-off. The WSA status, even if temporary, acts as a strong safeguard against development because it preserves the option for Congress to designate the land as permanent wilderness later. By removing the WSA designation, the bill removes that specific layer of protection. Although the land will still be managed under existing environmental laws and multiple-use principles, those management plans could theoretically be amended in the future to allow for activities—such as certain types of resource extraction or development—that would be impossible under the stricter WSA rules. This is the core tension: the bill unlocks the land for immediate, active management (like fire mitigation and improved access) but closes the door on the possibility of it becoming designated wilderness down the line.