Citizens for Balanced Use

Citizens for Balanced Use (cbu) is celebrating our 18th year in 2022 of preserving access for multiple Use on our federally managed public lands. We appreciate all the support we receive from the thousands of our members and their help, both financially and through engagement with our federal land managers. 2022 was a challenge with covid and the many meetings being held virtually rather than face to face. Our members are diverse in their physical abilities and agencies need to meet face to face to see the passion of access they show. Virtual meetings prevent our federal land managers from getting to know the people they serve and really meet the needs of the majority of the public.in january the custer gallatin national forest was scheduled to release their new forest plan. Cbu objected to this plan as it was proposed to remove all motorized and mechanized Use in areas the forest service designated as recommended wilderness areas. (rwas) cbu participated in the objection hearing which our objection fell on deaf ears. While the forest service claimed their action did not formally designate wilderness, an action left only to the u.s. congress, it did treat these areas as a formally designated wilderness. The plan would remove the historic and current Use of these areas by motorized and mechanized Use within 2 years of adoption of the plan. The creation of defacto wilderness by the custer gallatin national forest is common throughout region 1. The decision on the new custer gallatin national forest was signed on january 28, 2022. The only option for cbu to challenge this action was through litigation. Past litigation through the liberal courts, who give deference to the agency, have proved fruitless and expensive. It was the cbu board's decision to refrain from litigation in this matter.cbu is currently a member of 2 collaborative groups. Cbu is a member of the custer gallatin working group (cgwg) which was formed by 9 counties affected by the actions and projects of the custer gallatin national forest. The cgwg provided some comments during the forest plan revision on grazing and forest health but refrained from commenting on access for recreation. 3 members of the cgwg representing environmental groups went outside the cgwg and formulated their own anti access plan to present to the custer gallatin forest supervisor. Claiming their plan was a collaborative of multiple stakeholders, it was in fact a plan written by wilderness advocates. The supervisor of the custer gallatin national forest adopted their plan of creating more areas of recommended wilderness and with the region 1 policy of removing both motorized and mechanized Use in these areas, the majority of recreational users in the custer gallatin national forest lost more recreation opportunities.this action of removing both motorized and mechanized Use of our federally managed public land has become the norm in much of the western united states. Cbu is contacted weekly by individuals in the western united states seeking assistance in dealing with proposed closures by the blm and forest service in their area. Cbu provides them with the best information available on the science and regulations of nepa. We help people form local clubs and organizations and educate them on the 2012 planning rule and how to engage with their federal land managers. Cbu also is a member of the big elk divide restoration committee. (bedrc) this collaborative works with the forest service on actions and projects in the lewis and clark national forest. (lcnf) the bedrc meets monthly to receive updates and provide comments on specific projects proposed in the lcnf. The lcnf has several fuel reduction projects underway and proposed which are reviewed by the bedrc. Cbu provides comments on increasing recreation opportunities for multiple Use. The forest service has been slow to react to the increased need for campgrounds and trails open to multiple Use. We continue to advocate for additional facilities open to multiple use.in february we met with the madison district recreation specialist of the beaverhead deerlodge national forest (bdnf) to discuss a road closure in the north meadow creek area. This was an emergency closure because of 5 bridges being condemned and unsafe. Cbu partnered with the Montana 4x4 association, trail riders anonymous and the bozeman mountaineers to assist the forest service in replacing the 5 bridges. Cbu applied for a grant from the motorized trail pass administered by the Montana fish wildlife parks and recreation to purchase material and equipment rental for the project. We were successful in acquiring $55,000 for the project from the motorized trail pass fund. The project involved several meetings of the partners and the forest service. Materials needed to be ordered and dates set for work to begin. This road provides access to mckelvey lake in the tobacco root mountains west of ennis, Montana. The project was scheduled for the end of june, as this area receives heavy snowfall.in february the cgwg formed a sub-committee to inventory trails, survey Use, and improve signage in the bridger mountains trail system. Cbu was a member of this sub-committee. A representative of headwaters economics planned to survey Use on this trail system in the spring and provide a report to the cgwg sub-committee at the end of the summer. The sub-committee would then evaluate the Use and formulate a plan to improve visitor experience. Many of these trails are open to multiple use.cbu is also a board member of treasure state resource association. (tsra) this organization represents resource industries including mining, oil and gas, electric generation, agriculture, timber, and recreation. Tsra meets monthly to discuss the issues important to these Montana industries. Cbu has been successful in raising awareness of the importance of recreation in benefits to local economies, physical and mental wellness, and increasing family outdoor recreation opportunities. Cbu has thousands of members in several western states that depend on these resource industries and provide comments on projects of importance to them. Montana, being the treasure state, was founded on the abundant resources which provide the materials necessary to produce everything we Use or consume. Access to these resources is critical. With much of Montana being federally managed land, the decisions of these land managers have a very direct impact on all our lives, the vitality of our small communities, and the health and well-being of our Citizens. The members of cbu know the importance of multiple Use and shared Use of these public lands and we support these businesses and industries through communication with our public land managers.in march cbu met with senator daines to discuss access issues and the management of our public lands. Senator daines understands the importance of multiple Use access for recreation, the need for active forest management, and responsible development of our natural resources. It was interesting to hear his perspective of the lack of knowledge about public lands when discussing our issues in Montana with other state representatives in Washington d.c. states eastern part of the nation have little if any federally managed public lands in their state. This is why it is imperative that the members and supporters educate those legislators from the eastern u.s. on how the decisions of federal land managers affect Montana and other western states.in march we also met with representative rosendale to discuss the same issues about the federal land managers closing access to our public land. Montana is nearly 40% federally managed public lands. Counties with federally managed public land receive no property tax for these lands but rely on "payments in leu of taxes or pilt. Pilt funds are a mere pittance of what property taxes would collect on these productive lands and counties rely solely on property taxes to fund the services counties provide to their residents including funding of schools. Proper management of these lands are critical for the health and well-being of the environment and the Citizens. The lack of proper management over the past several years has increased the severity of fires, put businesses and property at risk, and cost millions of dollars in fire suppression cost. Cbu promotes active forest management and tries to educate the public on the benefits of active forest management.

Our grant from the motorized trail pass funds were used for materials and cbh contracted with a spray company for weed treatment in the little bear area over a 3-year period. Montana spray began spraying weeds in the area in august. We also used the grant funds to hire bo trails to repair damaged trails in several locations. Water bars were installed and drainage dips were created to help remove water from the trail to keep these trails in better condition over time. Cbu filed the required report with fwp including pictures and costs. More weed treatments will be completed in 2023 and 2024. The forest service inspected the sign installation, trail maintenance, and weed treatment after the work was completed.cbu was contacted in september on a bridge that washed out on the mccarty road from boulder to elkhorn in the beaverhead deerlodge national forest. We inspected the damage to the bridge over the creek crossing and met with the jefferson county commission to work with them to repair the bridge. Work to repair the bridge crossing was completed later in september.cbu attended our september monthly meetings with the bedrc, cgwg, and tsra. We also took a representative from fwp to inspect the 5 bridges we completed in north meadow creek. Cbu members also provided gvsa with help clearing trails in the custer gallatin national forest on trails they groom during the winter.cbu continues their work on the bridger infrastructure project, finalizing locations and sign design to be installed later. We received the trail survey results from headwaters economics at the cgwg meeting. It was disappointing that headwaters economics inflated the trail count numbers by not understanding their counts included ingress and egress Use which doubled the visitor counts. Cbu brought this to the attention of headwaters economics but they never corrected this error. Doubling the visitor counts had a significant impact on the validity of their survey. Cbu will continue to expose false reporting, survey results, or polling numbers whenever we see problems.another example of faulty polling data we saw in 2022 was a poll completed by wild Montana. The poll question asked was: "do you support a vision for southwest Montana that designates new wilderness, protects water quality, and helps keep working lands and family ranches intact?" This question was supported by over 70% of the respondents. Clearly the question is misleading as who would not be in favor of clean water and keeping working ranches. By collating clean water with wilderness, the public answered the question supporting the agenda of wild Montana which promotes more wilderness. Another poll conducted by 47 north asked the public a more targeted and fair question which was: "knowing that wilderness areas prohibit both motorized and mechanized Use, would you support creating more wilderness areas in Montana?" Over 58% of the respondents in this poll indicated they opposed creation of additional wilderness in Montana. Cbu continues to see polls from environmental groups that mislead the public with questions that compel the public into answers that support their anti-access agenda. It is difficult to discredit these results as media outlets focus on the results rather than the questions. The wild Montana poll was conducted by the university of Montana which gave creditability to the poll but the poll questions were formulated by wild Montana and not the university. The 58% opposed to new wilderness in Montana completed by 47 north has ceditability simply because of the question asked because the question was singular in form. Not connected to additional subject causing confusion to the public. Cbu urges the public to look at poll questions when considering poll results.cbu has been involved in travel planning in eastern Oregon over the last several years. We helped form forest access for all (fafa) based in baker city Oregon during the last attempt by the forest service to close this forest to open access. Fafa along with cbu were successful in the forest service's decision to remand the last blue mountain travel plan decision. In october of 2022 the forest service was again proposing a new forest plan revision. Cbu traveled to eastern Oregon and eastern Washington to attend several public meetings hosted by the forest service and a select group of local government officials. This select group of federal agencies and local governments also included representation from an environmental group. Cbu testified at these public meetings explaining the creation of the proposed plan was in violation of the federal advisory committee act (faca) and nepa. Members of cbu and fafa provided input during these public meetings on how the general public was prohibited from being allowed to participate during the process. The forest service in this area has an agenda of closing this forest to public access and the forest service has engaged in soliciting select individuals to serve on this committee who share their closure philosophy. Cbu spent nearly 2 weeks during october and november in Oregon and eastern Washington attending these public meetings and meeting with the leadership of fafa, local governments, and the media to expose the proposed plan. We educated the public as to the violations of nepa and faca during this process and how to hold the agencies accountable for their actions. Cbu will continue to monitor the progress of the blue mountain forest plan revision by the forest service.in november cbu met with the leadership of onx to discuss how we can improve communication and the development of accurate maps available to the public. It seems onx was starting to promote corner crossings in Montana. Cbu strongly defends private property rights and believes corner crossings are a violation of private property rights. If the public wants access to isolated parcels of public lands through corner crossings, property owners should be justly compensated and each corner crossing should be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and only with approval by the property owners should this access be granted. We expressed our views to onx to be taken under consideration. Cbu attended our monthly collaborative meeting during november and december and continued our work on behalf of our member issues. Below is a list of issues cbu has been involved with during 2022 and we continue to represent our members and supporters on preserving multiple Use access for recreation, promoting active forest management, and support responsible development of our natural resources on our federally managed public lands. Litigation against fs on divide travel plan oppose tester's s 1765 wilderness bill (80,000 acres new wilderness) blackfoot clearwater stewardship act custer gallatin forest plan revision helena lewis and clark forest plan revision support release of wilderness study areas in Montana revise esa and defund epa revise eaja (no accountability) supporting forest in focus and good neighbor authority projects to provide more local, state, and federal partnerships in active timber management on federal lands oppose further poisoning of Montana streams and introduction of west slope cutthroat trout. (meeting with fwp on case by case) wolf and grizzly predation and control (support hunting and trapping) (commented to agencies) ((support landowners) support grizzly delisting. Oppose wolf hunting buffer around yellowstone park protection of vested water rights (filed comments in opposition to the blm taking vested water rights from property owners in northeast Montana) working with counties to identify roads and rights-of-way that would qualify for rs2477 that come under jurisdiction of counties. (this would stop the illegal closing of hundreds of miles of roads in Montana on federally managed public lands) provide training on coordination to help local governments affect federal land management decisions. Working with naco (national association of counties) in writing the coordination handbook that directs federal land management agencies on how to coordinate with local governments. Working with Montana fwp in mapping summer and winter trails on our federally managed public lands. Oppose free roaming bison in taylor fork and buck creek in the gallatin (fwp eis released on wild bison restoration (1-1-20) cbu opposed provided comments opposing year-round grazing permits on blm for bison in north east Montana. Oppose apr (american prairie reserve) plan to remove agriculture in ne Montana. Access to mining claims and support mining and resource projects (tintina, rock creek, montanore, coal, oil and gas, grazing, timber management.) Cbu is a member of the custer gallatin working group collaborative, a nine-county collaboration group. Cbu is a member of the bedrc, a helena lewis and clark nf collaborative oppose tester's headwaters legacy act

In march we also met with representative rosendale to discuss the same issues about the federal land managers closing access to our public land. Montana is nearly 40% federally managed public lands. Counties with federally managed public land receive no property tax for these lands but rely on "payments in leu of taxes or pilt. Pilt funds are a mere pittance of what property taxes would collect on these productive lands and counties rely solely on property taxes to fund the services counties provide to their residents including funding of schools. Proper management of these lands are critical for the health and well-being of the environment and the Citizens. The lack of proper management over the past several years has increased the severity of fires, put businesses and property at risk, and cost millions of dollars in fire suppression cost. Cbu promotes active forest management and tries to educate the public on the benefits of active forest management.cbu attended our monthly march cgwg and bedrc collaborative meetings. We expressed the importance of increasing access to these public lands and offered suggestions on how the proposed projects could result in increased recreation opportunities while improving forest health. We received an update during the cgwg on the bridger infrastructure sub-committee project. Cbu secured 9 trail counters from the gallatin valley snowmobile association to assist headwaters economics in their trail survey project.cbu received an appointment to a position on the ohv committee by governor gianforte. This committee reviews grant proposals for the trail stewardship grant program administered through Montana fish wildlife parks and recreation. This committee meets twice each year to review and recommend funding for the grant proposals. We are honored to have been selected to serve on this committee. The committee met in april to review the grant proposals and make recommendations.cbu also attended the state trails advisory committee (stac) meeting to comment on the grant proposals this committee is charged with reviewing. Cbu remains active in the stac as these grants help maintain access to and on our public lands.cbu is also a member of the gallatin valley snowmobile association (gvsa) and has a member of cbu serving on the gvsa grooming committee. Snowmobiling in the area between bozeman and west yellowstone is one of the most used snowmobile areas in Montana bringing in millions of dollars of direct spending every winter. Snowmobiling has the least impact on the resource over any other recreational Use. Cbu supports gvsa and many other snowmobile clubs in Montana and across the west. We support avalanche training for both motorized and non-motorized clubs and organizations. One of the premier snowmobile trails in this area of the custer gallatin national forest is the big sky snowmobile trail. This trail is listed on the historic register and stretches from bozeman to west yellowstone. Listed on the register in the mid-1980s and once hosted the big sky snowmobile race, this trail traverses some of the most spectacular areas of this forest. Mountain peaks, open meadows, and deep powder provide enjoyment for everyone. Cbu members donate hours of time each year to clear and maintain this historic trail.at the end of april cbu met with the forest service to plan our trail and weed spray project in little bear. Cbu received a grant for trail maintenance, signage, and weed control measures in little bear. Little bear is south of bozeman and part of the custer gallatin national forest. This area is a very popular place for multiple Use recreation with hundreds of miles of trail open to all uses. Once heavily logged with many old roads that have been converted to trails it is important to help the forest service maintain this area. Cbu received $75,000 from the motorized trail grant to do this 3-year project. We are scheduled to complete this project in 2024.may was a busy month for cbu as our annual trailraiser banquet was scheduled for may 14. Our banquet sells out every year and 2022 was no different. The annual banquet is our main fund-raising event and our participants did not let us down again this year as their generosity was overwhelming! We have live and silent auctions, fun and games, and informative speakers. We finish off the night with our atv raffle drawing. The money we raise at the banquet goes towards the operation cost of cbu and our public education efforts. A big thanks to our supporters who donated items to this event and to all the volunteers who helped make this event a success!in june the tsra held their annual meeting at fairmont hot springs. This 2-day event brought together representatives from resource industries from across Montana. Cbu is a board member of tsra and attended this 2-day event. We shared the importance of multiple Use recreation as an economic driver in the many small communities across the state. We help tsra and their members understand our concerns with our federal land managers closing large areas to multiple Use recreation in their forest plans, travel plans, and land management plan revisions. Industries dependent on access to our federally managed public lands also need access infrastructure.cbu attended collaborative meetings, planning meetings, and agency meetings in june. Cbu also started the bridge project in north meadow creek in late june. The big push to complete the 5 bridges in north meadow creek began the first week of july. With hundreds of volunteers donating the Use of their vehicles, we hauled thousands of pounds of bridge material to the 5 bridge sites. The total volunteer time on this project was 1,177.5 hours. The 5 bridges were completed in just 8 days resulting in the mckelvey lake trail being reopened in record time. A big thanks to the recreation specialist in the madison district of the beaverhead deerlodge national forest for his leadership and partnership with the clubs and organizations involved. Along with the mckelvey lake project in july cbu attended our scheduled collaborative meetings and another meeting with senator daines. Cbu is fighting to stop more wilderness designation in Montana. Wilderness is a land of no Use, no management, no economic benefit, and no access for the elderly, families with small children, the physically challenged, our wounded and disabled veterans, and most of the public. 57% of our federally managed public land in Montana is either wilderness, roadless, recommended wilderness, or a wilderness study area. This equates to millions of acres in Montana that is currently off limits to the majority of the american public. Cbu advocates for release of the wilderness study areas that were designated over 40 years ago. These lands were to be studied for their eligibility and their suitability for designation by congress and released, or designated as wilderness, within 5 years. This wsa designation occurred in 1977 and congress never acted. It is time these areas are released from further study and placed back into land managed under the multiple Use sustained act.cbu was contacted by several residents in the west yellowstone area about road 478 along the south fork of the madison river. Members of cbu scheduled a meeting with the west yellowstone district ranger at the site to discuss the forest service actions of obliterating this road without proper public notice and in violation of nepa. Cbu engaged in several meetings and were insured by the forest service that this important road would be put back in place and repaired to its original condition. Repair of road 478 never occurred and in fact the forest service removed this road from their road matrix in the final decision of the forest plan revision. Cbu filed an objection with the forest service on this action but the forest service ignored our objection and in fact never addressed our objection in the objection response letter. Cbu continues to act on behalf of the public to preserve these historic roads and trails but the forest service is closing numerous historic roads and trails every year on the land they manage. We strive to hold the agency accountable for these wrongful actions of locking people out and off our public land. The obliteration of road 478 is just another example of an agency with an agenda of closing access to our public lands.cbu and several of our members began installing signage in the little bear area of the custer gallatin national forest in august. We used equipment to install posts for kiosks and signs at 10 different locations at road and trail intersections. Members of cbu donated more than 60 hours for this project.