Letter: Ad about forest plan is misleading

By Brian Scott - 03/27/2008

I’d like to point out the mis- leading nature of the March 22 full-page ad placed by the Citizens for Balanced Use. They tried to make the list of potential trail and road closures longer than it actually is. For example, Boot, Anchor, May, Pear and Tub lakes all sit in close proximity in the upper Birch Creek drainage; yet they comprised six spread-out lines in the ad. Another “lost” piece was the East and West Pioneers. Six entries down were the Pioneer, Highland and Beaver-head mountains. Redundant and ridiculous. “They” are not going to close motorized access to all of the Pioneer, Highland and Beaverhead mountains.

It’s getting harder to find a place to park your truck, sling your rifle and pack and start hunting with your feet without hearing the constant drone of ATVs. I don’t understand how riding a four-wheeler all day can even be considered hunting. Beaverhead County is currently pretty wide open to motorized use of public lands. I have given up hunting the Lost Creek-Sugarloaf area due to heavy (and I mean heavy) traffic. Let’s really make it “balanced” and give the hunters and the riders a little separation! By the way, I’m not a newcomer from back East trying to change Montana. I’m a fifth- generation Montanan who just happens to love wild and quiet places.

Brian Scott 19660 Highway 91 N Glen