Sweeping Wilderness Bill Proposes Protecting Millions of Acres Across Five Northern Rockies States, Restricting Development

This hefty piece of legislation, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, proposes a massive expansion of protected federal lands across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. It aims to designate millions of acres within National Forests, National Parks, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, establish biological connecting corridors, add segments to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and create wildland recovery zones. The core purpose, as stated in Section 3, is to preserve the wild character of these lands, protect water quality and wildlife habitat (especially for endangered species), maintain ecological connections, and promote sustainable management across the region.

What's Changing on the Ground?

This Act isn't just drawing lines on a map; it sets specific rules for vast areas.

• Wilderness Designation (Title I): This is the big one, covering potentially millions of acres across major ecosystems like Greater Yellowstone, Glacier/Northern Continental Divide, Salmon-Selway, Cabinet-Yaak-Selkirk, and Hells Canyon, plus various 'Islands in the Sky' mountain ranges. Designation generally means these areas are managed under the Wilderness Act, prohibiting things like new roads, commercial logging, mining, and oil/gas drilling (Sec 109), subject to existing rights. Think of places like Yellowstone National Park (Sec 103 designates ~2 million acres as wilderness) or the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness (Sec 104 adds ~746,000 acres). For folks who hike, camp, or hunt in these areas, it means preserving the remote character, but potentially limiting motorized access.
• Biological Connecting Corridors (Title II): The bill designates roughly 2.9 million acres (Sec 202) to act as highways for wildlife, connecting the major ecosystems mentioned above. The idea, backed by findings in Section 201, is to help animals migrate, maintain genetic diversity, and adapt to changes like climate shifts. Management here is specific (Sec 203): no even-aged logging, no mining or drilling (subject to valid rights), and strict limits on roads (aiming for zero, capped at 0.25 miles per square mile). This could affect timber operations or future development plans in these specific zones, while potentially boosting wildlife populations.
• Wild and Scenic Rivers (Title III): Numerous river segments across Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming get added to the protective system (Sec 301). This designation typically restricts dam construction and other developments that could harm the river's free-flowing condition, water quality, or scenic values. This impacts river management and could benefit recreational users like rafters and anglers, while potentially limiting water development projects.
• Wildland Recovery Areas (Title IV): About 1 million acres are marked for restoration (Sec 402). These are areas previously impacted by logging, road-building, or other activities. The goal (Sec 403) is to actively restore them – removing roads, stabilizing slopes, planting native vegetation, and improving fish habitat. This could mean active work crews in areas like the Coeur d'Alene River area (372,000 acres) or the Hungry Horse area (205,000 acres), potentially creating restoration jobs.

How It Fits Together: Management, Rights, and the Future

The bill sets up a framework for managing these areas long-term. An interagency team and independent scientists are tasked with monitoring progress and evaluating effectiveness using tools like GIS (Sec 501, 502). There's also a mandate to evaluate all remaining roadless lands over 1,000 acres in the region's National Forests, potentially leading to future protections (Sec 503).

Crucially, the Act explicitly addresses existing rights. It states it doesn't affect private property rights (Sec 2(s), Sec 204) or existing water rights (Title VII). It also preserves treaty rights for Indian Tribes (Sec 601) and ensures access to protected areas for traditional cultural and religious purposes, allowing for temporary closures for privacy upon Tribal request (Sec 605). Federal water rights are reserved for the newly designated wilderness areas (Sec 110). Additionally, ranchers holding grazing permits on lands designated under the Act can voluntarily donate those permits, leading to permanent retirement of grazing in those specific areas (Sec 111).