The Flathead Beacon posted a much more complete AP article on Senator Jon Tester’s wilderness area plans than the one we linked to earlier today. There’s more detail on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge proposal, which appears to be somewhat contentious. It also reveals that the Seeley Lake area proposal came from the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Project and the one in northwestern Montana originated from Three Rivers Challenge.

Here’s the lead-in . . .

Wilderness advocates and key officials say Sen. Jon Tester’s office has plans to bring Montana its first new wilderness designation since the 1980s.

But Tester’s office is keeping details quiet — just saying that anyone interested in how forests are managed should contact the senator.

Plans for the designation of a new wilderness area draw on separate proposals that have been in the works for years, say advocates who hope legislation will fast-track hundreds of thousands of acres into wilderness status.

Read the entire article for more information . . .

According to an AP article in today’s Missoulian, Senator Jon Tester has plans to propose a new wilderness designation in Montana. One possibility is some 500,000 acres in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, but Tester is also “considering proposals in the Seeley Lake area and in northwestern Montana.”

Here’s the lede . . .

Wilderness advocates and key officials say Sen. Jon Tester’s office has plans to bring Montana its first new wilderness designation since the 1980s.

But Tester’s office is keeping details quiet — just saying that anyone interested in how forests are managed should contact the senator.

Read the entire article . . .

Northwestern Montana, eh? Interesting. We’ll keep an eye on this.