Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act addresses long-running wilderness study area designations in Montana. Congress found that the Middle Fork Judith, Hoodoo Mountain, and Wales Creek areas had been studied and found unsuitable for wilderness designation, yet remained locked into wilderness study status. The bill would release those areas from study-area constraints so land managers can use applicable forest and resource management plans for conservation, access, and recreation.
Who Benefits and How
Montana hunters benefit if released areas can be managed with more flexible access and habitat tools. Motorized recreation users benefit where ordinary management plans allow routes or uses restricted by wilderness study status. Forest Service managers benefit from clearer authority over the Middle Fork Judith area. BLM managers benefit from clearer authority over the Hoodoo Mountain and Wales Creek areas.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Wilderness advocates bear a policy loss because the released areas would no longer be held for potential wilderness designation. Forest Service managers must update management for the released Middle Fork Judith lands. BLM managers must update management for the Hoodoo Mountain and Wales Creek lands. Federal land planners must reconcile conservation, access, grazing, recreation, and wildlife objectives under ordinary plans.
Key Provisions
- Adds findings that selected Montana wilderness study areas were previously determined unsuitable for wilderness.
- Modifies management of the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area by ending study-area constraints.
- Modifies management of the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area by ending study-area constraints.
- Modifies management of the Wales Creek Wilderness Study Area by ending study-area constraints.
- Requires the released lands to be managed under applicable Forest Service and BLM plans.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Removes wilderness study area status from selected Montana lands already found unsuitable for wilderness and returns them to ordinary Forest Service or BLM management under applicable plans.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Recreation, Conservation
Primary Purpose
Removes wilderness study area status from selected Montana lands already found unsuitable for wilderness and returns them to ordinary Forest Service or BLM management under applicable plans.
Policy Domains
Bill provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Montana hunters
- Motorized recreation users
- Forest Service managers
- BLM managers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Wilderness advocates
- Forest Service managers
- BLM managers
- Federal land planners
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Steve Daines
R-MT | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
ReportedCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported …
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, …
Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and …
Introduced in Senate
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "secretary_of_interior"
- → Secretary of the Interior
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology