It’s well established that people choose to live in places with opportunities to visit protected areas. Footloose individuals move to communities near protected landscapes, bringing with them income earned elsewhere but spending it locally.

But it goes beyond economics or whether someone uses these places. These wildlands become part of the local identity. People like to know such untrammeled places exist even if they only go to the edge and gaze upon the beautiful landscapes. They are places where we look out on an expanse of undeveloped land and breath in the spaciousness.

Protecting wilderness is one of the “best” attributes of humanity. It demonstrates a respect for all life, and a willingness to share the Earth with others. Wilderness designation is also the "gold standard" for conservation. There is no better way to preserve wild nature.

The worst aspect of Daines and Gianforte's proposed legislation is that it was developed without any significant public input. At the very least, Montanans should be permitted to speak about the love they have for these landscapes.

Montanans have a chance to demonstrate our own best character defined by restraint and humility by supporting the continued protection of these lands as wild places. Hopefully, Daines and Gianforte will listen.

George Wuerthner is an ecologist who has published 38 books, including "Protecting the Wild: Parks and Wilderness as the Foundation for Conservation."

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