JOHN WALSH

 (US SENATE)—Senator John Walsh’s legislation to protect East Rosebud Creek was heard in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday.  The legislation will ensure thatEast Rosebud Creek will be preserved in the free-flowing condition it is in today under the Wild and Scenic River designation.

Walsh’s bill was designed with local input and collaboration led by Friends of East Rosebud, an organization of local residents that want to protect the creek from the construction of dams or any other activity that would alter its free-flowing condition.

“Montanans have told me how important it is to protect the free-flowing and pristine nature of the Creek against future diversions and dams,” Walsh said. “The visitors who recreate on the East Rosebud stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, and shop in local small businesses in Billings, Roscoe, Columbus, and Red Lodge. The bottom line is that this bill is good for the local economy.”

In April, Walsh held a listening session regarding the designation of East Rosebud Creek in Billings where over 100 local residents overwhelmingly supported designating the creek as Wild and Scenic.

The bill designates two segments of the East Rosebud that run entirely through Forest Service land, so no private land will be impacted.  The East Rosebud Creek originates in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and flows out into the prairie where it joins the Stillwater River, which flows into the Yellowstone River. 

Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968 to preserve rivers with outstanding natural, culture and recreational values in free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.  The Act was a made-in-Montana idea based on the work of brothers John and Frank Craighead, legendary scientists and conservationists. The last time a Montana river was protected under the act was 1976.