Montana BHA / Tuesday, February 13, 2024 / Categories: Media, State Issues How To Privatize a Mountain We had followed the trail for a half mile when it ran headlong into a fence. Signs nailed to the trees blared messages of unwelcome: “Private Property” and “No Forest Service Access.” They were emphatic: The trail ends here. Our map — the official map of the Custer Gallatin National Forest — said different: The trail continued for another seven or eight miles, a substantial orange line winding through the foothills of Montana’s Crazy Mountains. The signs, though, had the desired effect. On the other side of the fence, the trail grew faint. The Crazies have been swept up in the wave of wealth and gentrification that is reshaping the West and carving up the landscape for profit. This trail, known as the Porcupine Lowline, had been marked on U.S. Forest Service maps for nearly a century — the earliest I’ve seen is dated 1925. But, like many trails in the Crazies, it crossed private land to reach the National Forest. And, like many trails here, landowners had taken to putting up “No Trespassing” signs, fences and padlocked gates at those crossing points. The practice is so widespread that the Forest Service counts only one remaining public access point along the Crazy Mountains’ entire 16-mile southeastern flank. Read more from In These Times here... Previous Article Stalking Wildness: BHA’s Wilderness Warriors Next Article Maine is Looking for Members to be on the State Leadership Team Print 0 Rate this article: No rating Tags: Montana ChapterMontana issues Montana BHAMontana BHA The voice for Montana's wild public lands, waters and wildlife Other posts by Montana BHA Contact author Full biography Full biography The voice for Montana's wild public lands, waters and wildlife x