Missouri Breaks National Monument Management Plan Proposed by BLM
The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument stretches east to west across some of the best hiking, floating, and hunting opportunities in the Great Plains. For generations, Montanans have worked to protect the Missouri Breaks, and today this region—especially the acreage within the monument—remains largely as it was when the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery beheld it 200 years ago. In fact, this monument, which is part of the National Landscape Conservation System, contains the only section of the Missouri that is still free of motorized traffic: just 149 of more than 2,000 river miles.
To guide management of the monument for the next 20 years, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has drafted a plan dealing with off-road vehicle use, wildlife, and related issues. The Wilderness Society is working with other conservationists and the Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument, a coalition of business people, outfitters, hunters, fishermen, farmers, and ranchers, to engage citizens in the effort to improve the BLM’s draft.
This summer, we helped organize the first annual Missouri Breaks Storyteller’s Rendezvous, a gathering of people who live and work in the 377,000-acre monument and were willing to share their family stories. Attended by more than 100 people in the gateway community of Lewistown, the event brought together friends and foes of the monument in celebration of the area’s history and its promise. The success of the rendezvous bodes well for our future efforts to build even stronger local support for preservation of the monument.
Please contact the BLM and urge strong protection of the Missouri Breaks, its remote wildness, and high-quality non-motorized experiences. Call 406-896-5004 or e-mail Monument Manager Gary Slagel (gslagel@blm.gov) or Field Office Director June Bailey (jbailey@blm.gov). Or click here to send a letter through our action center.
For More Information
- Bob Ekey, Director, Northern Rockies/Montana Regional Office, The Wilderness Society, 406-586-1600
