Tell the Lolo National Forest to protect rivers, fish, and watersheds!

The Lolo National Forest is accepting feedback from the public on its draft forest plan until April 1, 2024. Your feedback will help protect rivers in western Montana.

Instructions: 1) copy the recommended comments below 2) visit the Forest Service website to paste, customize, and submit.

How to give flawless feedback: A Three-Part Formula
Giving the government feedback is your right as a community member. Use this formula to highlight the good stuff, change the bad stuff, and make your voice heard.

Part 1: Crushin’ it!
It’s important to tell the Forest Service when they’re doing things right. There’s a lot to say thank you for here. The Lolo National Forest has found 21 rivers and streams to be eligible for Wild and Scenic River protections, including nine rivers that will retain protections they’ve had since 1991.

Part 2: Eddy Out
In addition to highlighting the good things, it’s time to tell the Forest Service how to improve river protections:

Wild and Scenic eligible protections are also warranted for the Thompson River, Fish Creek, South Fork Fish Creek, and the St. Regis River.
Westslope cutthroat trout must be added to the Species of Conservation Concern list.
The Forest needs to better operationalize climate refuge.

Part 3: River Love
Government agencies often dismiss or downgrade identical comments. The most meaningful and memorable comments come from community members who not only offer constructive feedback, but also share how their identity is tied to rivers, a personal story, a memory, or their values for rivers.

Watch our latest webinar on how the decisions the Lolo Naitonal Forest will impact Western Monata's rivers and public lands.

Copy the text in the box below, paste it into the Forest Service comment form, and adapt to include your river story before submitting.

Lolo

Plan

Revision

USDA

Dear Lolo Planning Team,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Lolo Forest Plan Proposed Action.

[YOUR RIVER LOVE STORY HERE]

I support protecting the following 21 rivers and streams as Wild and Scenic eligible. These streams have outstanding recreation, fish, and wildlife values and include:
•	Rattlesnake Creek
•	Rock Creek
•	Lolo Creek, South Fork Lolo Creek
•	Clark Fork River (St. Regis to Quinns)
•	Blackfoot River, North Fork Blackfoot River
•	Clearwater River, Colt Creek
•	Morrell Creek
•	Monture Creek, Middle Fork Monture Creek
•	Lodgepole Creek
•	North Fork Fish Creek, West Fork Fish Creek, Straight Creek, Cache Creek
•	Deer Creek, Cromie Creek, Up Up Creek
•	West Fork Thompson River

In addition to the 21 rivers and streams listed above, Wild and Scenic eligible protections are also warranted for the Thompson River, Fish Creek, South Fork Fish Creek, and the St. Regis River. The Forest Service dismisses these streams as neither unique nor important within western Montana. I disagree. These rivers possess outstandingly remarkable values that are unique within the region of comparison and include:
•	Thompson River – whitewater boating, exemplary angling, and important habitat connectivity between the Clark Fork River and cold water climate refuge headwaters in the West Fork Thompson River
•	Fish Creek - whitewater boating, exemplary angling, and important habitat connectivity between the Clark Fork River and cold water climate refuge headwaters within the Great Burn
•	South Fork Fish Creek - exemplary angling, and important habitat connectivity between the Clark Fork River and cold water climate refuge headwaters in Cache Creek
•	St. Regis River – exemplary angling, critical spawning grounds, and cold water climate refuge habitat

Westslope cutthroat trout should be added to the Species of Conservation Concern list due to lack of distribution of high genetic integrity and the potential for increased distribution resulting from restoration. Finally, the Forest Service needs to better operationalize climate refuge within its Conservation Watershed Network by protecting riverside shade cover, cold water seeps and springs, areas of persistent snowpack, microclimates, genetically pure fish populations, and riverine connectivity.

Please consider these improvements within the Proposed Action to better protect western Montana rivers.