By Marty Almquist
In 1989, I became a wilderness ranger with the Forest Service and spent 25 years working in the Selway-Bitterroot, Anaconda Pintler, and River of No Return Wildernesses of Montana and Idaho.
These are some of our most spectacular public lands anywhere in the lower 48, and it was a privilege to help safeguard these Wilderness areas. I felt very fortunate to spend so much time in wild places that are home to grizzly bears, gray wolves, wolverines, Canada lynx, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and countless other native species. That the Selway-Bitterrot and Anaconda Pintler were among the original 54 Wilderness areas designated by the Wilderness Act provided me with an important connection to the past, as I stewarded a future where Wilderness is truly wild.
My work ran the gamut of engaging with visitors and the public at large, trail work, monitoring and cleaning up campsites, inspecting outfitter camps, monitoring repair work on wilderness dams, and advising on fires.
During my career, Wilderness Watch was always engaged in wilderness stewardship and tirelessly pushed the Forest Service to do the right thing for Wilderness and uphold the agency’s overarching mandate to preserve wilderness character. Wilderness Watch challenged countless Forest Service decisions, both in my Region and throughout the country, that would have harmed Wilderness—things like allowing unregulated and inappropriate recreation and commercial outfitter impacts, using unlawful mechanized tools for trail work, using helicopters or building roads to access dams in Wilderness, employing heavy-handed fire suppression tactics, ignoring public involvement, and more.
Each time Wilderness Watch succeeded where other wilderness advocates failed, I breathed a sigh of relief!
After retiring, it was important to me that I become a monthly donor, committing to the ongoing financial support of Wilderness Watch’s vital—and now critical—work defending our shared precious and precarious National Wilderness Preservation System. After all, I had seen first-hand what would be at stake without Wilderness Watch’s unwavering efforts.
A $5, $10, or $25 monthly contribution supports Wilderness Watch’s legal, policy, and advocacy work—sustaining this important work into the future.
Becoming a monthly donor is rewarding and easy. You have the peace of mind knowing your monthly contribution occurs automatically and can be changed at any time. And if you’d like to donate via secure direct deposit (which eliminates credit card fees), you can set that up with Wilderness Watch’s Membership and Development Director, Brett Haverstick: [email protected] or 406.542.2048, Ext. 1.
My career in wilderness stewardship showed me time and again Wilderness Watch’s invaluable role in holding the Forest Service’s feet to the fire. I also saw Wilderness Watch give backbone to agency employees making politically difficult decisions. I shudder to think what America’s National Wilderness Preservation System would be today without Wilderness Watch.
Please join me and others by making the same commitment to our shared wild places, assuredly now more important than ever!
Become a monthly donor to Wilderness Watch today!
Marty is a former Wilderness Watch board member and a current member and monthly donor.
