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TAKE ACTION! Tell Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to leave Wildlife Management Areas for wildlife! (Due 8/13/21)

Bull Elk Montana

Photo: Wikicommons

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August 4, 2021

Comments Needed by August 13th

Because of ongoing drought conditions in the state, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is proposing to open up 8,500 acres of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) to livestock grazing and haying operations. This proposal claims that the impacts will be temporary, minor, and/or inconsequential. While the drought does impact livestock producers it also has profound impacts on native fish and wildlife, which are ignored in the environmental analysis.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, eighty percent of Montana is experiencing severe to exceptional drought. This year’s drought is having widespread effects on wildlife habitat already, and opening WMAs to private livestock use will have numerous adverse impacts on the wildlife species for which these areas are supposed to be set aside. Wildlife such as elk, deer, ground nesting birds, amphibians, ground squirrels, rabbits, and many more depend on the same vegetation structure that will be removed by the proposed livestock grazing and haying operations.

Please comment and tell MFWP:

  • Livestock grazing and haying operations will add additional stress to already stressed wildlife populations.
  • WMAs are set aside to support wildlife and wildlife habitat and should not be given away to livestock producers.
  • Despite claims in the environmental assessment that haying and grazing will increase forage and cover for wildlife following the proposed operations, there is no scientific evidence to support this.
  • With reduced production of plants due to drought, any further reduction from livestock use will result in adverse impacts to wildlife that rely on the WMAs.

Please also add your stories about the effects of drought in your area, any impact to wildlife you have observed, and why it matters to you that WMAs are protected from commercial use.

The agency is accepting written comments online until 5 pm on August 13. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/37iAlf9

Thank you for taking the time to speak out for Montana’s wildlife.

For more information, contact Jocelyn Leroux, Montana Director: jocelyn@westernwatersheds.org

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