Guest Editorial: Lincoln Prosperity Proposal a local effort that needs congressional support

The Upper Blackfoot Valley, specifically the community of Lincoln, is not just where I live, it is also where I serve. As a native Montanan, I moved to Lincoln 20 years ago and found my place. I was surrounded by country where I could fish, hunt, and enjoy the backcountry whether on a snowmobile or a mule. I first served as a volunteer firefighter, and now serve as the Lincoln Fire Chief and as a member of the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council.

Almost ten years ago, I joined a local group that was interested in coming up with a management plan for the public lands surrounding Lincoln, which is important because so many residents rely on these lands for work and play. We had a wide-ranging set of interests, which led to hard conversations. But we used our collective voice to share priorities with the Helena – Lewis & Clark National Forest as they were updating the forest management plan for our area. This group saw opportunity and promise for our community, and collectively knew that the forests that surround our town would be an important part of our future just as they have been for all our history.

Over the course of ten years working together, our group struggled to find common ground, but we stayed together even when it looked like progress had stalled, because at the end of the day we could all agree that the status quo wasn't working. We had an interest in seeing our community thrive economically, and we had partners interested in the ecological function of the public land around us, but agreeing on how those pieces fit together took a lot of hard work. Our collective effort is now known as the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal.

As a hunter, I was interested in preserving the game species' habitat for the generations after me to enjoy. As a recreationist, I was interested in the places where I could ride my snowmobile and mules. But most importantly, as Fire Chief, I was interested in reducing the risk of wildfire just outside of town. Protecting our citizens from catastrophic wildfire is a critical component of the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal. It is why I am calling on our Congressional delegation to pick up our proposal and put it into action as legislation.

This proposal is focused on recreation, like new motorized and mountain bike trails and designated recreation areas. The plan calls for the expansion of the Scapegoat Wilderness and the designation of the Nevada Mountain Wilderness, all of which I support. My keen interest is the part of the proposal that would allow the U.S. Forest Service to think first about fire-wise approaches to management in the forests west of town, particularly Lincoln Gulch and Ogden Mountain.

These forests are densely packed with diseased and dead lodgepole stands, kindling for a possible catastrophic wildfire that would easily sweep into our town with the valley's prevailing winds. Currently, these two areas are managed as roadless under the Forest Service roadless rule. Our group believes we can unlock the tools needed to create resilient stands of timber that reduces the risk of devastating fires without negatively impacting the primitive backcountry feel of the area.

Montana's Congressional delegation talks often about mitigating wildfire risk. Here is a perfect opportunity to do that. I hope you will join me in asking our potential champions in Congress to get behind our local effort to create a safe, healthy, and prosperous Upper Blackfoot Valley. Learn more at lincolnprosperity.com.

Zach Muse, Lincoln Fire Chief