Sponsors (2)
The bill trades removal of wilderness-study protections for roughly 104,000 acres — and the resulting loss of a path to permanent wilderness designation — in exchange for clearer, agency-led management that expands public access and enables more active resource uses and local economic activity, while raising risks of habitat impacts and reduced wilderness-style recreation.
Rural communities, hunters, and local recreationists gain increased public access and expanded sportsmen and recreation opportunities on the Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek areas as those lands are placed under Forest Service/BLM management.
Local land managers can apply existing land and resource management plans to these areas, enabling active management for wildlife habitat improvement and wildfire mitigation.
Local economies and permit holders (timber, grazing, recreation, utilities) could more quickly pursue permitted activities under standard Forest Service/BLM planning compared with wilderness-study restrictions, potentially accelerating jobs and revenue.
People who support permanent wilderness protections and the public lose wilderness-study protections for about 104,000 acres, reducing the likelihood those lands will ever be designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Residents, visitors, and wildlife face greater risk of habitat degradation, increased motorized access, road-building, and resource extraction if the areas are opened to broader uses, which can harm wildlife and undeveloped recreation.
Communities and recreation-dependent businesses may lose tourism and recreation value if wilderness character is diminished, reducing revenue for local economies that rely on undeveloped landscapes.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Removes WSA status for three Montana areas and places them under existing Forest Service or BLM land use plans for multiple‑use management.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Steve Daines · Last progress December 17, 2025
Removes wilderness-study status from three specific Montana wilderness study areas (Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek) and directs that those lands be managed under existing Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management land use plans. The change replaces the special statutory WSA regime with ordinary multiple‑use land management, with the stated goals of improving access, expanding sportsmen opportunities, supporting wildlife habitat and wildfire mitigation, and allowing management under current environmental laws and local planning processes.