West Crazy Mountains

WEST CRAZY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL FOREST PUBLIC ACCESS

Porcupine Road - West Side Crazy Mountains National Forest
photo by Kathryn QannaYahu

The Crazy Mountains National Forest in Montana have been a public access hotbed, beginning in 1940. As then Forest Service Supervisor G. E. Martin writes detailing the variety of uses documented in the historic Crazy Mountains, including mining, timber, grazing, trappers, hunters and recreation, "At no time was travel over the roads and trails restricted until October 1940 when Van Cleve locked the gate during the hunting season. In 1941 this was done again. In 1942 the gate was again locked before the opening of the hunting season and was still locked on April 24, 1943."

I requested a FOIA from the Custer Gallatin National Forest for documents relating to the public access situations in the East Side of the Crazy Mountains in the fall of 2016, as well as a current one for the transfer situation of Alex Sienkiewicz, the former Yellowstone Ranger District involving documents from the Montana Farm Bureau, Montana Outfitters and Guides (which land owner Chuck Rein is the Vice President of), a number of local landowners, including the Sweet Grass County Attorney Pat Dringman's wife, Page Carroccia Dringman to Senator Steve Daines.

January 31, 2018, the Forest Service, the Zimmermans (landowners) met with a select group
of the public, organized by Erica Lighthiser, mostly representing mountain bike &
trail relocation advocates. The Zimmermans & FS proposed obliterating Trail #267
just south of the FS Porcupine Cabin, moving it to FS land at much higher elevation.
A portion of Trail #195 would also be obliterated. Brad Wilson, Friends of the Crazy Mountains &
Kathryn QannaYahu, Enhancing Montana's Wildlife & Habitat, hosted a Public Meeting
to inform the public of numerous issues, including the process itself.
A number of the public objected in the public comment process. The Forest Service
abandoned the process, but not the relocation.

Late summer 2018, FOCM & EMWH hired an attorney, joined by others, to form a coalition.
February 13, 2019, we filed our Notice of intent to Sue.

Crazy Mountains March 2018 Public Meeting
Concerning Forest Service Porcupine Trail #267
Meeting Video, Trail Video Tours and Documentation

Friends of the Crazy Mountains citizen organization

The Face of Things To Come... If We Don't Mobilize To Stop It

Enhancing Montana's Wildlife & Habitat

www.EMWH.org

Have you been in the Crazy Mountains?

If you have been in the Crazy Mountains...

Crazy Mountains Forest Service Map

perhaps you received a citation when you were on a FS Trail on their map;
perhaps you have been on one of these contested trail and you thankfully did not ask landowner permission or sign in and would like to add your account to the prescriptive easement history;
perhaps you would just like to share your story and/or some pictures of what these particular public lands and access mean to you?

If so, please contact Kathryn :

kathryn@emwh.org

406-579-7748

Crazy Mountains Public Access Page

Please contact the officials below

Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250 (202) 720-2791

Forest Service Chief, Vicki Christiansen, vcchristiansen@fs.fed.us (202) 205-8439

Region 1, Regional Forester Leanne Marten, lmarten@fs.fed.us (406) 329-3315

Custer Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson, mcerickson@fs.fed.us (406) 587-6949

Senator Steve Daines, steve@daines.senate.gov (202) 224-2651

Even though Sen. Tester was not evident in the letters, please contact him as well.
Sen. Jon Tester, senator@tester.senate.gov (202) 224-2644