As the volunteer president of the Montana Wilderness Association’s Wild Divide Chapter here in Helena, I’d like to respond to the Independent Record’s April 20 article entitled “Conflict Marks MWA Anniversary.”

My view of MWA is grounded in everyday experience. I’m one of the other 5,791 MWA members that didn’t get a chance to express their views in the IR story.

The IR missed a great story, and here it is: Montanans are working together to protect our quality of life and bring new wilderness to Montana!

In Helena the MWA is not just part of our community — MWA is our community. The nearly 600 members who reside in the area include accountants, artists, state employees, teachers, lawyers, restaurant workers, storeowners, students, retirees, and many others.

They volunteer to serve on the local board, work on local campaigns, help with events, lead wilderness walks, make phone calls, maintain trails, stuff envelopes, attend meetings, and talk with neighbors, public land managers, and congressional representatives, to urge protection for local landscapes and traditional recreational opportunities.

And yes, they “vote with their wallets” through membership contributions. Overall, individuals provide approximately half of MWA’s annual revenue, a clear sign of financial strength in the nonprofit world.

MWA would not succeed without its members. If you care about our quality of life, get involved and join the Wild Divide Chapter!

It’s an exciting time. Wilderness designation is happening, and even during an administration not known for its green credentials, 59 new wilderness areas across the country have been designated since 2002.

In the West, wilderness success stories have been characterized by collaboration across a broad spectrum of stakeholders, and bipartisan support of local Congressional delegations.

This week there was a hearing in Washington, D.C., on a proposal for over 500,000 acres of wilderness in Idaho, carried by Republican Senator Mike Crapo. The last new wilderness in Idaho was in 1982.

The Wild Sky Wilderness bill now awaits the president’s signature. It will be the first new wilderness for Washington state in 23 years.

It’s no wonder MWA has chosen to change, to better achieve its core mission of protecting our quality of life with wilderness designation for our most special places.

The last new wilderness in Montana was 1983. Adapt and grow, or become irrelevant. It’s no different for nonprofits, and it’s certainly no different for conservationists.

When it comes to our public lands, Montanans want progress, and they want Montanans to work together.

MWA’s effort on the Beaverhead-

Deerlodge National Forest is a great example of Montanans working together to build a common future that includes wilderness designation for deserving places in the East Pioneers, Sapphires, Snowcrest, Electric Peak, and other areas, over 560,000 acres total.

But MWA’s work on the Beaverhead is also about active restoration, to fix damaged wildlife and fisheries habitat. That’s a big part of why groups like the National Wildlife Federation and Montana Trout Unlimited are on board.

Ultimately, it’s about conservationists, local timber mills, backcountry horsemen, mountain bikers, hunters, anglers, local government and others working together to roll up their sleeves and come together to solve problems.

Unfortunately, the IR missed this success story. I guess that conflict, even when it’s several years old, makes for better headlines.

At our upcoming convention in Great Falls this weekend (April 25-27), MWA members will celebrate 50 years of “Keeping it Wild,” continue our active participation in the future of MWA and explore new ways to secure more protection for Montana’s rich heritage of wild country. Come join us!

Mike Brown lives in Helena and is president of the Wild Divide Chapter.