Protecting the Wild West Pine Area
A Montana day I will never forget was spent galavanting in the Gallatins. Despite it being a Saturday in June, I went hours and miles without seeing another soul, stopping to admire the prolifically blooming arrowleaf balsamroot and seas of blue, white, and purple wildflowers. Unmatched views of the Paradise Valley and Absaroka Range, and a peek into the heart of the Gallatins, welcomed me to this landscape.
Tucked into the northeast corner of the Gallatin Range is the West Pine area, characterized by abundant wildlife, stunning trails, and ample opportunity for solitude. This wild corner of the Gallatins is home to creatures ranging from the bumblebee to the grizzly, and is an important refuge for elk, deer, and other wildlife as they travel north from Yellowstone National Park.
West Pine is also a favorite destination for local mountain bikers – as well as hikers and horsemen – with the West Pine Creek and North Dry Creek trails.
Arrowleaf balsamroot blooms prolifically on the West Pine Creek Trail. (Photo London Bernier)
But the public lands in the West Pine area are not permanently protected. With nearby Bozeman and Livingston expanding rapidly, it’s critical we keep this area wild, while still allowing the forest to be managed for recreation and to prevent catastrophic fire.
The Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act will designate 25,000 acres in the West Pine area as the West Pine Wildlife and Recreation Management Area. This designation will permanently protect the area from mining and new roads. The act will also protect the West Pine Wildlife and Recreation Management Area from logging that necessitates new road building.
To protect the wild-urban interface and our communities, this designation will allow the forest to be managed to mitigate wildfire risk. Fire management will also help keep this landscape healthy for wildlife and the streams of the Gallatin Range clean and cold.
The 25,000-acre West Pine Wildlife and Recreation Management Area designation will also ensure continued mountain bike access on all system trails in the West Pine area and provide for the building of two new trails: one that will connect the Dry Divide Trail with the Bear Lakes Trail, and one to link the West Pine Trail with the North Dry Creek Trail.
These two loop trails are designed to create safer opportunities for hikers, bikers, and horsemen on the east side of the range while reducing trailhead congestion by eliminating the need for car shuttles.
The West Pine Creek Trailhead. (Photo London Bernier)
London Bernier on the West Pine Creek Trail. (Photo London Bernier)
Permanently protecting the West Pine area with the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act safeguards the bumblebees collecting pollen from endless fields of wildflowers, the elk bugling in the hills, and the grizzlies finding refuge in remote corners of the landscape. It will ensure wildlife can thrive here, just like they have for millenia.
It also guarantees more unforgettable Montana days for folks like you and me, and the generations that come after us.
We have a responsibility to protect this wild place. Speak up for the Gallatins today by endorsing the Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act.
– London Bernier, Greater Yellowstone Coalition