Viewpoint: Montana can learn from Colorado’s newest national monument

Becky Edwards

Montana Can Study from Colorado’s Latest Nationwide Monument The Mountain Mamas began in Montana in 2013, and over two years in the past branched out to Colorado. In each states we now have 1000’s of mothers united by a easy premise: we’re rooted within the western way of life of elevating our households exterior.

Due to this fact, we work to boost our collective voices to maintain our rivers pristine, our air clear, and our shared public lands open and wild for generations to come back.

Whereas our efforts are easy and non-partisan, we’ve watched for years as dysfunction in Congress has held hostage widespread sense options such because the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.

Our mamas in Colorado have additionally watched in dismay because the Colorado Out of doors Recreation & Economic system (CORE) Act, a homegrown invoice created after a long time of native advocacy work, withered on the vine as soon as it obtained to Washington, D.C.

Safety of Camp Hale, which was used to coach troopers throughout World Conflict II, was included within the CORE Act. The terrain of Camp Hale allowed American troopers to study ski-mountaineering to organize for winter warfare.

As an alternative of permitting partisan video games in Congress to as soon as once more gum up domestically supported public lands protections, President Biden used a software deployed by presidents of each events to get the job finished: the Antiquities Act. After a long time of assist from veterans, native households, enterprise house owners, outside recreationists, and historians – and because of the Antiquities Act – this particular place has now been designated the brand new Camp Hale – Continental Divide Nationwide Monument.

Mountain Mamas from Colorado are each celebrating this designation and taking their households there to benefit from the 20+ miles of inclusive trails open to the general public to recreate and create reminiscences. During the last 12 months, Mountain Mamas in Montana launched into household street journeys in each season to discover and study extra about our state’s wealthy and distinctive nationwide monuments together with Pompey’s Pillar, Higher Missouri River Breaks, Little Bighorn Battlefield, and the Massive Gap Nationwide Battlefield.

Whether or not studying about, honoring, and respecting the historical past of Indigenous peoples, or exploring the paths as soon as taken by the Corps of Discovery, there isn’t any doubt that sure locations needs to be protected in perpetuity whether or not Congress can put partisan politics apart to do that vital work or not.

The teachings from Colorado and our latest nationwide monument ought to encourage, hearten, and even inspire public lands advocates and our elected officers: if Congress isn’t prepared to get the job finished to guard the general public lands that gas our financial system and function the core backdrop as we elevate our youngsters exterior…then we should always take a look at instruments such because the Antiquities Act, utilized by Republican and Democrat administrations alike to do the correct factor and be certain that we’re leaving our nation higher than we discovered it for generations to come back.

Becky Edwards is the Government Director of the Mountain Mamas, and lives in Bozeman along with her husband and three daughters.