Anyone who has been to the east side of Glacier National Park as seen the Rocky Mountain Front, a dramatic and scenic area where the Rocky Mountains meet the northern great plains.  South of the Park the Front is no less dramatic: massive limestone ridges called reefs seem to guard the Bob Marshall, Scape Goat, and Great Bear wilderness areas like great walls.  Crystal clear rivers and streams flow from the mountains, cutting dramatic canyons through the reefs, and spilling onto the plains.  Grizzly bears, big horn sheep, and a suite of other wild animals call the Rocky Mountain Front home. 

The Rocky Mountain Front is a haven for paddlers, hikers, horse packers, hunters, birdwatchers, and other recreationists.  It is also a transition zone between partially protected public lands and privately owned ranch lands. 

The proposed Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act seeks to offer additional protections for the public lands by way of 70,000 acres of Wilderness designations and the creation of a new 200,000 acre National Conservation Area.  It does so in a manner that is supportive of conservation, recreation, and other permitted uses like grazing. 

American Whitewater recently sent a letter to Senator Max Baucus formally supporting the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act.  We’ll keep paddlers posted as this bill progresses towards passage so you can weigh in when the time is right. 

Learn more about the Act at http://www.savethefront.org/.  You can download our letter of support from the Document Box to the right of this article.