Rocky Mountain Front, Montana

The Sun River Valley. Photo by Cameron Naficy/NFN.

about the Front • What's New • Take Action • RMF in the Media • Maps & Resources

What's New

Blackleaf EIS Indefinitely Halted, 10/05/04
The Bureau of Land Management formally announced that it has halted the environmental review process for Startech's application for a drilling permit in the Blindhorse Outstanding Natural Area of the Blackleaf portion of the Front! This is great news that removes the immediate threat of drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front and has cleared the way for a more tangible discussion of a lease buy out and permanent protection of the Front as wilderness. More information will be available soon, so keep checking back to learn of new developments.

Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front's Press Release (10/05/04)
BLM's Press Release (10/05/04)
Missoulian Editorial on BLM decision
Washington Post article on BLM decision
AP article on BLM decision

Field Tour of Oil & Gas Development on Canada’s Rocky Mountain Front
Sat. September 18th to Sun. September 19th
Visit the Canadian Rocky Mountain Front, just north of Waterton, where oil and gas development dominates the landscape. We will tour the area to see first hand what oil and gas development looks like and talk with a local wildlife biologist about its impacts to wildlife.

Spend a Weekend on the Rocky Mountain Front!
September 3-5, Labor Day Weekend & the 40th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act
Come join us for a weekend on the Rocky Mountain Front. We'll be visiting the Blindhorse Outstanding Natural area where Startech has proposed a well site, meeting with many of the locals who are opposed to drilling, and taking several nature walks. This is a must attend weekend for anyone interested in exploring the Front, the proposed drill site, local attitudes toward drilling, or the Front’s natural history. For more information, click here.

Hunters/Anglers support moratorium on all drilling of the Rocky Mountain Front
45 state hunter and angler groups from around the nation sign a resolution to place a moratorium on oil and gas drilling on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Read the Resolution and see a list of the signatories.

Take Action

Write a Letter to the Editor asking that the Front be protected as wilderness! Help keep up the pressure on our congressional delegation and the BLM to protect the Front. Click here for a list of talking points on wilderness designation for the Front, a template letter to the editor, and further information on how to write a Letter to the Editor.

Comment on the Blackleaf Drilling Proposal - Comments due June 1st!

Federal Register Notice (4/15/04)
Supplementary Information for Federal Register (4/15/04)
Press Release from the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front (4/16/04)
Sample Comment Letter to BLM for the Blackleaf Scoping period
Talking Points for comments on the Blackleaf proposed drilling

Ongoing Protection Efforts

With the constant onslaught of threats to the Rocky Mountain Front, its people, and wildlife from oil and gas development, increasing motorized recreational use, and unpredictable shifts in the political environment, we are seeking permanent protection of the remaining unproteced areas of public land along the Front. We want to preserve the Front's biodiversity and the traditional ways of living, recreating, and enjoying the Front. To do this, we are seeking legislative action to protect the Rocky Mountain Front as a designated wilderness area under the Wilderness Act of 1964. Wilderness designation is the only way to save the Front from becoming an industrial drilling site and motorized playpen for both its wildlife and the people who have been living their for generations.

Fifty years ago, the Front was explored for oil and gas with no success, then 20 years ago a wave of oil and gas interest ran through the Front, again with little success in finding active well sites. Each time oil and gas interests have attempted to develop the Front, they have largely failed because only miniscule supplies of oil and gas exist underneath the Front, making profit viable only when oil and gas prices peak, and also due to strong local and regional opposition from citizens, politicians, and land managers. Now, with oil and gas prices temporarily high, drilling proposals are springing up once again despite the strongest outrage and opposition to drilling in Montana's history. Even if we can keep companies like Startech out of the Front for now, they can and will wait 10, 20, or 50 more years before attempting to drill again just as they have in the past. Without permanent protection for the Rocky Mountain Front, we will one day lose the battle to protect it. If we do not consciously decide, as a society, which areas we want protected from oil and gas development, logging, mining, and the takeover of our last roadless areas by motorized recreation then unprotected areas will be drilled, motorized, logged, roaded, mined and developed at the whim of the free market and the everchanging political directives coming from DC. The Rocky Mountain Front is a place that most Montanans, and Americans, want protected from these ravages. Support wilderness designation for the Front and join our coalition to help protect the future of the Rocky Mountain Front.

What you can do

Our Congressional delegation needs to hear our message loud and clear in order to help us protect the Front. Both Senator Baucus and Burns are keenly aware of the Front's importance and are investigating possible solutions to what they see as the conflict. We need to help them craft those solutions. You should copy any letter that you write to the BLM to each of our senators and our representative or you can write a letter to them directly. Share your concerns and vision for the future of the Front with them.

In addition to participating in immediate action alerts and contacting your delegation, you can join the Native Forest Network and the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front. We work hard to gather information on current events related to the Front, post occasional policy updates, lead walks on the Front, host Rocky Mountian Front events in cities around Montana including presentations given by a variety of individuals working with the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, and help to keep the community of ranchers, outfitters, conservationists, hunters, outdoor recreators, and interested citizens connected in our discussion and goals for Montana's wild and beautiful Rocky Mountain Front.

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