The National Wildlife Federation Action Fund has endorsed Rob Quist for Congress in Montana’s special election on May 25.
The National Wildlife Federation Action Fund has endorsed Rob Quist for Congress in Montana’s special election on May 25. Quist is a lifelong outdoorsman and a strong supporter of keeping America’s federal public lands in public hands. Quist calls public lands Montana’s single greatest asset, urging that they be protected for future generations.
“We need a strong voice in Washington speaking up to protect Montana’s public lands, and Rob Quist has proven he’s a strong, independent voice for protecting America’s public lands, our clean water and our clean air,” said Tom France, a Missoula resident and senior adviser to the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund. “As an outdoorsman, Rob Quist knows that protecting America’s wildlife and outdoor heritage isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a deeply held mainstream Montana value.”
Support for public lands, wildlife habitat, clean water and clean air is strong in Montana. The 2017 Conservation in the West poll by Colorado College shows 77 percent of Montana voters support keeping existing national monuments in place, 63 percent want clean air and clean water protected, and 58 percent oppose transfers of federal public lands to state control.
There are 27.3 million acres of publicly-managed land across Montana, including 3.4 million acres of federally-protected wilderness. These lands protect an incredible diversity of wildlife and are the headwaters providing clean water for all of Montana’s rivers.
In Montana, outdoor recreation generates $5.8 billion in consumer spending, 64,000 direct jobs, and $403 million in state and local tax revenue, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. Nationwide, outdoor recreation is a $646 billion economic engine that directly employs 6.1 million people.
