Commission weighs in on Forest Service travel plan

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By WALT WILLIAMS Chronicle Staff Writer
The Bozeman City Commission voted 3-2 Monday in favor of a resolution
declaring the commission's support for keeping the Gallatin National
Forest's roadless lands non-motorized.



It's a watered-down version of a resolution commissioners considered
in September. But it keeps language saying the city doesn't support
any of the six travel alternatives forest officials are considering.



Mayor Steve Kirchhoff and City Commissioners Marcia Youngman and
Jarvis Brown voted for it while City Commissioners Andrew Cetraro and
Lee Hietala voted against it.



Kirchhoff said it was good for the city's economy, a large part of
which depends on the recreational activities the forest provides.



"I don't think we are increasing our roadless lands by an enormous
amount" by supporting to keep them non-motorized, he said.



"I think it goes too far in favor of wilderness," Hietala said. "I
think Montana as a whole provides many other opportunities for
utilization of natural resources."



Forest officials are weighing six plans regulating travel on forest
lands. They range from the first alternative, which calls for less
travel management than now provided, to alternative six, which places
the greatest amount of restrictions on motorized traffic.



Local environmental groups support alternative six, with some
modifications to make it more stringent. They believe that
motorcycles, four-wheelers and other off-road vehicles degrade the
forest.



The resolution, coming from the Friends of the Gallatin Forest and the
Montana Wilderness Association, says roadless lands strengthen
Bozeman's economy by attracting people who bring small businesses,
investments and retirement income.



It also says roadless lands provide clean drinking water and
opportunities for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing.



But Sam Harvey, of the Gallatin Valley Snowmobile Association, said
groups such as the Montana Wilderness Association want to declare
every speck of federal land "wilderness," thereby cutting it off to
motorized recreation.



His group was very upset the commission would even consider something
from the MWA, he said.



Michael Plummer of Bozeman, a conservative Christian and avid mountain
biker, supported the resolution, even if it meant he would lose some
of the areas where he could bike.



"Open areas are important," he said. "Roadless areas are important to
this community."



The commission's resolution is only a value statement. The decision
about which plan to adopt will be left to the officials who manage the
Gallatin Forest, and they may adopt more than one plan for different
areas of forest.



A previous resolution before commissioners expressed support for
keeping "wilderness-quality lands" roadless and non-motorized.
Commissioners delayed a decision on it after a forest official told
them the resolution would support alternative six, even though it
stated it didn't support any alternative.



The resolution approved Monday asks forest officials to manage
roadless lands as non-motorized. It also says commissioners don't
support an alternative.