Help keep the Front the way it is now! Increasingly, important habitat along the Rocky Mountain Front is under pressure from the subdivision of private land for residential development. Conservation easements have proven to be a valuable tool for protecting wildlife and a traditional way of life by leaving land in private ownership. However, in order to capitalize on the gains already made, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in need of renewed funding to purchase additional conservation easements in the coming years. Learn how you can help this important program>>
Travel Plan for the Rocky Mountain Front Released!
The Coalition applauded the Forest Service for its plan that protects wildlife while emphasizing traditional uses on the Front. On October 1st, the Lewis and Clark released a final Travel Plan for the lower two-thirds of the Rocky Mountain Front covering roughly 390,000 acres, excluding the Badger-Two Medicine area. The Plan will guide all travel, recreation, and other uses on the Front for the next two decades, specifying routes for hikers and horseback riders, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles (ORVs) ...more>

In The News > News Releases

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Rocky Mountain Front Travel Plan
2007-10-03 - The Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front, an organization of ranchers, hunters, anglers, outfitters, guides, local business owners, Tribal members, public officials, conservationists, and other Montanans today applauded the Forest Service for developing a final Travel Plan for Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front that protects wildlife while emphasizing traditional uses on the Front. more>>

Baucus hails victory in fight to protect the Front
2006-12-12 - The Rocky Mountain Front will be protected from new oil and gas leasing forever, thanks to legislation passed by Montana Senator Max Baucus. "This is a major, major victory for Montana. We've been working to pass meaningful protections for the Rocky Mountain Front for 30 years," said Baucus, who often hikes up Ear Mountain in the Front. "Thirty years from now, our kids and grandchildren will thank us." (20K) more>>

Hunters, Anglers Ask Congress to Support Front Legislation
2006-10-20 - More than 30 hunting and fishing groups, from Libby to Billings, have sent an open letter to Congress asking for full support of pending legislation that would protect federal lands along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front. The language, which is within the Interior Appropriations bill, would withdraw federal lands along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front from future natural gas and oil leasing. (20K) more>>

Montanans celebrate anniversary of Blackleaf decision, urge Congress to 'finish the job' of Front protection.
2006-10-05 - Montanans today hailed the Bush Administration’s decision two years ago that temporarily halted plans to drill the Rocky Mountain Front and the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front called on Congress to ‘finish the job’ and pass legislation that would prevent any new oil and gas leases from being offered on federal land along the Front. (20K) more>>

Momentum Builds to Protect Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front, Company that Originally Proposed Blackleaf Area Drilling Agrees to Retire Its Front Leases
2006-08-03 - Efforts to protect Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front gained momentum today as the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front announced that a second energy company, Startech, has agreed to sell its federal mineral leases along the Front. The leases controlled by Calgary-based Startech, when joined with Questar (which already has agreed to donate its Front leases) cover all federal mineral leases in the Front’s Blackleaf area, which Startech was planning to drill when the Bush Administration temporarily halted those plans two years ago. (50K) more>>

Montanans Applaud Efforts to Protect Rocky Mountain Front Announce First Agreement with Energy Company to Retire Leases
2006-06-28 - A wide variety of Montanans, local officials, and federal agency staff today applauded legislation introduced by Sen. Conrad Burns that would prevent any new leasing on federal public lands along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front and announced that an agreement has been reached with one energy company to donate its Front leases; allowing those leases to be retired by returning them to the federal government. (23K) more>>

Burns Includes Front Language in Interior Bill
2006-06-27 - U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (R-Mont), Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, included language in a bill that would prevent any new oil and gas leases from being approved within the confines of federal land along the Rocky Mountain Front. “It’s clear this is a critical area for habitat, recreation, agriculture, and just to appreciate the majesty of Montana,” said Burns. (20K) more>>

Montanans Urge Forest Service to Protect Rocky Mountain Front, Support Travel Plan Emphasizing Traditional Horse adn Foot Travel
2005-10-12 - More than 37,000 public comments flooded the Forest Service with 98 percent supporting Alternative 3, according to an analysis conducted by the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front. More than 80 percent of Montana commenters endorsed Alternative 3, which would allow motorized use only on established roads. (56K) more>>

BLM, Fish & Wildlife Service Move to Conserve Wildlife along Rocky Mountain Front
2005-10-05 - The Interior Department announced decisions that will help ensure the conservation of wildife in northwestern Montana. The BLM will indefinitely stop work on an environmental impact statement that could allow oil and gas development in the Blackleaf area along the Rocky Mountain Front. Meanwhile, the Fish & Wildlife Service is launching an conservation-easement program on the Front. more>>

Forest Service Releases Draft Travel Plan: Montanans Urge Forest Service to Adopt Final Plan That Favors Traditional Uses Such as Horse and Foot Travel
2005-06-15 - In response to last night's release of a draft Travel Plan for Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, a coalition of Montanans urged the Forest Service to protect the Front by upholding and supporting traditional uses such as horse and foot travel. (91KB) more>>

Baucus Asks Energy Companies to Move off Front
2005-04-19 - Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is asking 26 energy development companies with leases on Montana's famed Rocky Mountain Front to find a less-sensitive place to drill for oil and gas. Baucus also told President Bush that protecting the Front was his number one priority in new energy legislation (233K) more>>

Montanans Praise Decision to Halt Drilling Along Rocky Mountain Front
2004-10-05 - Interior Department's announcement to suspend the Blackleaf drilling review cheered the Front's defenders, who renewed calls on Congress to permanently protect the Front and retire its oil and gas leases. (18 KB) more>>

Montanans to BLM: Protect the Rocky Mountain Front
2004-09-15 - Detailed analysis of more than 49,000 public comments shows more than 93 percent of Montanans reject drilling proposals on the Front. (50 KB) more>>

Montanans Overwhelmingly Support Protecting the Rocky Mountain Front
2003-11-20 - More than 90 percent of those commenting on the Travel Plan revision for the Lewis and Clark National Forest favor traditional non-motorized use. Contains excerpts of some comments. (39 KB) more>>


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