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Issues: Wildlands

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Spotlight: Montana's Rocky Mountain Front

Craggy peaks, forested foothills, steep valleys and pristine rivers make up the 100-mile-long "Front," where the Great Plains slam headlong into the Rockies. This dramatic landscape stretches south from Glacier National Park along the eastern side of the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex, helping to form the largest block of wild country left in the lower 48 states. It supports huge populations of elk, moose and bighorn sheep, and is the only place south of Canada where grizzlies still venture onto the open prairies. Wilderness designations protect parts of the Front, and public pressure has led to a temporary ban on new oil and gas leases in some areas. But much of the Front remains vulnerable to drilling on existing leases.

Outside in the Front

Here's a taste of the adventures to be had along the Rocky Mountain Front:

Backpack in Badger-Two Medicine: Named for two rivers that flow from the snowfields and glaciers of the Continental Divide, this 200-square-mile area in Lewis and Clark National Forest is sacred to the Blackfeet and other tribes. Explore its high plateaus and wildflower-filled valleys on a multi-day ramble that crosses over the divide, following Birch and Badger creeks.

Saddle Up for a Ride Through Blackleaf Canyon: Experience the intersection of peaks and plains on a five-day packtrip that begins in Blackleaf and climbs to the Front's high country before heading west into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Or explore the canyon's limestone outcroppings on a daylong ride led by Chuck Blixrud, a lifelong resident of the Front and owner of the Seven Lazy P Guest Ranch in nearby Teton Canyon.

Go Flyfishing on Badger Creek: Closer in size to a small river than its name lets on, Badger Creek winds through the heart of Badger-Two Medicine beneath towering limestone peaks and slopes covered with Douglas fir and pine trees. Its cold, pristine waters offer prime conditions for cutthroat trout.

For details on these and other adventures along the Rocky Mountain Front, see our "Local Information" section, at right. Don't wait long, though; if the energy industry and its friends in the Bush administration have their way, oil and gas development will permanently scar this high, lonesome country.

Another Special Area at Risk
Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument: In 1805, the explorer Meriwether Lewis described the white, sandstone cliffs lining this stretch of the Missouri River as having "a most romantic appearance." Today, paddlers and hikers can take in views of the cliffs that are virtually unchanged from the days of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition. The petroleum industry also has its sights on the Missouri Breaks and is pushing hard to make use of existing leases within the monument.

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There's some good news on this front. In 2006, Congress extended indefinitely the Forest Service's 1997 moratorium on new oil and gas leases within the Lewis and Clark National Forest, which includes Badger-Two Medicine. However, numerous oil and gas leases covering thousands of acres of land remain on Badger-Two -- adjacent to Glacier National Park -- from before the moratorium went into effect. As long as those lease holders continue to hold on to their federal leases, the land is still open to drilling.

To learn more about this special area and how oil and gas development would change it forever, visit the websites in the Local Information section, below.