Sponsors (2)
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Steve Daines · Last progress December 17, 2025
The bill moves ~104,000 acres out of Wilderness Study Area status so local managers can pursue wildfire mitigation, access, and multiple uses under existing plans—improving safety and local use but sacrificing potential long-term wilderness protections and risking more development, habitat impacts, and some public costs.
Nearby rural communities will have reduced wildfire risk because agencies can carry out wildfire mitigation and habitat restoration projects previously constrained by Wilderness Study Area (WSA) status.
Rural residents, hunters, and recreational users will gain restored trail access, habitat projects, and expanded opportunities for recreation, grazing, and other multiple uses as lands shift from prolonged WSA review to active management.
Local communities will get clearer, more certain land‑use rules because the areas will be managed under existing Forest Service and BLM land/resource plans, maintaining environmental review and reducing the risk of abrupt deregulatory changes.
People who value wilderness protection will lose the possibility of long-term wilderness designation and stricter protections for roughly 103,960 acres formerly managed as WSAs.
Residents and conservation-minded users face degraded wilderness character and increased motorized access or development on these lands if multiple-use management allows more vehicles, roads, or infrastructure.
Nearby residents and wildlife could experience increased noise, vehicle traffic, and habitat fragmentation if lands are managed for broader resource uses.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Removes WSA designation for Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek and returns them to Forest Service or BLM management plans for multiple use.
Removes wilderness-study designations for three specific Montana areas (Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek) and returns them to normal Forest Service or BLM land‑management plans so those lands can be managed for multiple use, including improved hunting and outdoor access, wildlife habitat projects, and wildfire mitigation. The change directs management under the most recently adopted land/resource plans and preserves compliance with environmental and administrative laws.