Friends of Missouri Breaks Responds to Martz Editorial
Great Falls Tribune - November 11, 2001
Counterpoint:Former RAC Chairman: Most of what she'd do is already done, by Hugo Tureck
At a press conference recently in Billings, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton spoke of the aftermath of Sept. 11, saying: "When we come to awe-inspiring places like Pompeys Pillar, Yellowstone National Park or any of the hundreds of other natural treasures, we are reminded of the unspeakable beauty and rich history of our land. We realize anew that America is far greater than what happened that day. We are blessed with a renewed sense of unity, hope and healing."
The secretary is doing her best to bring to us together, to unite us. She points out that people will find comfort and inspiration as well as refuge when they visit our public lands and the great outdoors.
How refreshingly different these statements are when compared to the attitude of Gov. Judy Martz. Rather than looking at the Missouri Breaks National Monument in the way that Secretary Norton describes our natural treasures, Gov. Martz is attempting to dismantle our monument, and with Rep. Denny Rehberg's support is proposing to introduce legislation under the pretense of protecting private property rights.
Gov. Martz put together a task force made up of elected officials that already opposed the monument. Martz claims that finding elected officials that supported the monument "proved nearly impossible."
Montanans should know that the mayor of Great Falls, who supports the monument, wrote a letter asking to serve on the task force, but was turned down. Also, no one from the Lewistown City Council, which passed a resolution supporting the monument, was asked to serve.
What Martz created was a task force determined to gut the monument. So committed was this group that it chose to ignore the letters written by Montanans that were to be the basis of the report. Of the 1,700 citizens that sent letters, more than 68 percent begged Martz and her task force to leave the monument as it was designated.
The governor has chosen to ignore the majority of Montanans that support the monument and to pander to the opponents by raising the issue of threatened private property rights.
This issue, if not patently false, is misguided at best. We Montanans need to let Gov. Martz and Rep. Rehberg know that private property rights are well protected in the Missouri Breaks National Monument, as stated in the President's Proclamation.
The words were simple and straightforward: "The area within the boundaries of the monument contains approximately 37,435 acres of state land and 81,059 acres of private land. The monument designation does not apply to those lands, but the proclamation provides that if any state or private lands within the outer boundaries of the monument are acquired into federal ownership in the future, they would become part of the monument. In the absence of acquisition, the law applicable to the use of state or private land prior to establishment of the monument will continue to apply."
Private property owners have the right to do with their land as they see fit. They are guaranteed access to their lands. Nothing has changed. They can sell their lands to whomever they want. The reason their lands were included within the monument is that if a landowner wants to sell to the federal government that land can become part of the monument without an act of Congress.
Rather than having their private property rights threatened, the landowners have been given another right. If they want to leave a legacy, they can choose to sell their land to the government and see it protected as part of the monument. The landowners in the monument have continually stressed to the people of Montana how they want to protect the area's wild character. It is difficult to imagine landowners rejecting a tool that might someday help them achieve this.
Finally, Martz tells us she will work with Rep. Rehberg to protect grazing, hunting, fishing and other traditional uses. The people of Montana should let the governor and Rep. Rehberg know that these traditional uses are already protected within the proclamation.
What Martz does not tell us is how she will work to protect this awe-inspiring landscape, the cultural artifacts, and, this last remaining wild place where we can experience some of what Lewis and Clark must have felt.
Posturing about a non-issue as she has done here will not do the job.
We need to stress to the governor that the Missouri Breaks National Monument includes more than 377,000 acres of public lands that already belong to all ofus. We as Montanans must tell Martz and Rehberg that we now have the framework to protect this magical place, not just for a few landowners, but for all Montanans, for all Americans, for all generations.
Hugo Tureck is the past chairman of the Central Montana Resource Advisory Committee thta took input from Montanans and from this filed a report with the secretary of the Interior on the Missouri River Breaks. He is currently on the executive board of the Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument, an organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the monument. He resides in Coffee Creek where he and his family farm and ranch.
Guest column: Governor vows best for the Breaks
By Gov. Judy Martz
On Jan. 17, former President Bill Clinton delivered to Montana one of the most controversial federal land management policy decisions to ever hit this state.
The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument encompassed a total land area of close to half a million acres. Included within the boundaries were nearly 80,000 acres of private property and 40,000 acres of state land. About 377,000 acres of federal land were also included in this designation.
Information for Norton
The decision split the state, with supporters heralding it as a gift of preservation and opponents blasting it as a federal land grab. Despite the controversy leading up to the designation, Bruce Babbitt and Bill Clinton decided against allowing more time for opposing parties to negotiate a compromise.
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton, vowing not to follow the top-down management style of the previous administration, allowed for additional input for 22 last-minute monument designations across the nation. I thank Secretary Norton for allowing us a chance to visit the issue. Her decision shows respect for those most impacted by decisions that will affect lives and livelihoods.
I took Secretary Norton's letter for additional input to heart and appointed a group of elected local officials. The officials selected came from Democrat, Republican and Independent backgrounds. Finding elected local officials that support Clinton's monument designation, regardless of political party, proved nearly impossible.
The task force, the secretary of interior and I have all focused on making something right out of something very prickly.
Sept. 11 changed everything. Today we live in a new era, with different priorities and different threats. We are a nation at war. The Bush Administration has been forced to channel its energies and focus in ways we have not seen in our adult lifetimes. Every member of the president's Cabinet has been preparing the nation for war, including the Department of Interior. With interior's responsibilities including the Statue of Liberty and Hoover Dam, it is no wonder movement on the "Breaks" issue has come to a standstill at the federal level.
With that in mind, I am determined to make the best out of a difficult situation. We must move forward with regard to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. However, we cannot - and will not - expect the Bush Administration to rearrange priorities for our sake. Our nation is at risk, and its focus should remain on protecting our freedoms.
That is why I am instead asking our congressional delegation to move forward with legislation to allow private property included in the monument to be excluded from the boundaries. Private property owners have strongly objected to lands they own being included within the boundaries, and these individuals should not be forced to have their land included within a boundary that they oppose. I respect and appreciate their views.
Public lands unaffected
This proposal will not affect public lands. It will not reduce the size of the monument. The 377,346 acres of federal land within the monument will remain unchanged. In my mind, it is as close as we can get to satisfy all sides.
Additionally, I will work closely with our congressional delegation to make sure that all private property rights are protected, and that those rights are unimpeded by the federal government. Furthermore, as governor, I will fight to make sure uses such as grazing, hunting, fishing and other traditional uses will remain in place for future generations. I will also work closely with our delegation and with those who will develop the management plan for the Breaks to ensure that the monument is managed in a way that works for those who live, work and play in the Breaks.
It is time to move forward. The monument is here to stay. I give my word to all Montanans that I will work tirelessly to ensure the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument works best for the people of our state.
