(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines today reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to permanently preserve the East Rosebud Creek in south central Montana.
Tester and Daines are introducing the legislation at the request of local Montana residents. Their bill will designate 20 miles of East Rosebud Creek as wild and scenic under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which will preserve the free-flowing condition of the creek located south of Roscoe, Montana.
“East Rosebud Creek is one of Montana’s most hidden treasures with world-class fisheries and breathtaking views,” Tester said. “This is another made-in-Montana solution that was built through years of on-the-ground collaboration that will allow folks to hike and fish the East Rosebud for generations to come.”
“When we designate the East Rosebud it will become the first Wild and Scenic designation in Montana in nearly 40 years,” Daines stated. “I am committed to preserving East Rosebud — one of Montana’s greatest treasures for future generations to enjoy.”
Local residents praised Testers and Daines’ efforts.
“We greatly appreciate Senators Tester and Daines bipartisan work to protect the East Rosebud Creek,” said Leslie Ziegler, President of Friends of East Rosebud. “This area is a special place where many Montanans have chosen to live and raise our families-some folks have been here for generations. The East Rosebud attracts visitors from all over the world, yielding significant economic value to surrounding communities and our state. This bill will ensure the East Rosebud stays a special place for generations to come.”
The bill designates two sections of East Rosebud Creek that run entirely though Forest Service land. The East Rosebud Creek originates in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and flows out into the prairie where it joins the Yellowstone River just west of Columbus. No private land will be impacted by this legislation.
In 1968, Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to preserve rivers with cultural and recreational value in their free-flowing condition for present and future generations.
Less than one-half of one percent of Montana’s approximately 170,000 miles of river is designated as wild and scenic, and the last time a Montana river was protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was in 1976.
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