This Land is Our Land Across Big Sky Country

Statewide Survey Shows Unanimous Support for Public Lands by Montanans

Hiking Rough Draw to Elephant Head Mountain in Park County

As spring slowly overtakes Montana’s winter we find ourselves seeking out fresh air, exercise and some much-needed sun. Whether you trade skis for a bike or snowshoes for hiking boots, getting outside in Montana means accessing our public lands. The COVID-19 pandemic only makes our local geography all the more important.

When Gov. Steve Bullock announced the stay-at-home order on March 26, he made sure we could still access our public lands, as long as we all maintained social distancing recommendations—which will likely remain as those restrictions are slowly lifted in the next month.

That decision reinforced the value we Montanans have for our public lands. A new poll from the University of Montana helps quantify the importance.

It should come as no surprise that nearly all Montanans visited federal and state lands in the past year, with more than one-quarter visiting more than 20 times; more than three-in-four Montanans consider themselves conservationists; nearly nine-in-ten Montanans think that outdoor recreation helps our economy.

More importantly, from our perspective here at PCEC, a majority of Montanans (75%) think that wilderness study areas (WSAs) should continue to be protected and managed as WSAs. We couldn’t agree more. Recent criticism and backlash to proposals removing WSA protections back this sentiment up. Retaining the wild character of our public lands for wildlife habitat, open space and undisturbed areas for quiet recreation and hunting are values we champion. 

Along those lines, there is one thing we can agree upon: the poll also showed “there is vast support across political parties, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, and regionally for proposals aimed at increasing protections for existing public lands.”

The poll was conducted March 19-24, 2020, via landline and cell phones, just before Bullock announced the implementation of stay-at-home measures on March 26. At that time, it was clear that COVID-19 was upending our society and going to have severe effects on our daily lives and the outdoor recreation industry, though the exact changes were not crystallized yet.

We now know that many people and businesses in Park County are facing a great deal of uncertainty. What does the summer season look like? How will visitation be affected? What does that mean for our community? We know we can band together and support one another as we have during and after this crisis: volunteering our time, sewing masks, supporting local businesses and looking out for each other.

If there is one noticeable trend, it’s that our community is turning toward the outdoors. If local trailheads and river access sites during the COVID-19 pandemic are any indication, we’re seeking solace in the beauty of the place we’re all lucky to call home.  If you are unsure of how best to recreate during these times, see our essential questions to ask yourself before your trip.

While the results were not necessarily surprising, the poll, which is conducted every two years, has the highest support numbers in most categories for every year since 2014, showing that Montanans know public lands help protect habitat, water quality, wildlife and our way of life. Although it didn’t take a global pandemic to show us that, we can look at this moment, now and in the future, as a reminder of the importance and need to protect our wild public places.

This poll will help all of us show decisionmakers that our community—across party lines—wants special places like the Gallatins and Crazies to be protected permanently. PCEC was founded 30 years ago in part to advocate for those protections, and we continue to do so today. Our work may have been upended by COVID-19, but it hasn’t stopped. We’re inspired by our community's passion for this wonderful place and share your zeal in making sure it stays that way.

At a time like this, it’s encouraging to be reminded of the common values we share, and the broad support we have for what we’re doing. We all value our public lands, and we will continue investing in them, working to ensure their presence is everlasting. 

We will take this message and run with it, hike with it and camp with it.