Protect Public Land

What is a National Monument?

National Monuments are a means of protecting public lands and wildlife. The distinction is that a Monument is protected by the President, and not Congress. The Antiquities Act is a means by which US Presidents have used to protect public lands, such as the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, and many others across America. George Bush created the largest ocean Monument in the Pacific during his tenure. The key to any Monument declaration is a solid management plan. In the case of our proposed Monument, we want to make clear that it is wildlife-focused, protecting a vital wildlife corridor as well as many threatened and endangered species, including wolves, grizzlies, bison, and wolverine.

This would be the first monument of its kind, created with a focus on wildlife and to ban the trapping and killing of predator species. Many ocean monuments have been designed to protect fish species and ban commercial fishing.

This is part of Bold Visions Conservation’s commitment to protecting public lands so wildlife can thrive!

It is essential to recognize that this will not happen under the Trump Administration, but we have an opportunity with education and organizing to gain the public’s support for what would nearly double the size of Yellowstone National Park.

In Montana today, wolves and grizzly bears are being killed in record numbers. Governor Greg Gianforte has led the way by supporting trapping and killing wildlife for trophies. There is a significant amount of dark money supporting these efforts. Our goal is to create a Monument to protect wildlife and perhaps the nation’s most important wildlife corridor—one filled with wolves, grizzlies, lions, and wolverines, plus so many other important species.

This area is being torn apart by off-road vehicles and snowmobiles. Our goal is to create a Sanctuary for Wildlife. It is also a vital area to protect for Climate change and to protect and restore areas and rivers, allowing wildlife to flourish.

Bold Visions Conservation has the support of the Tribes of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, as well as groups such as Western Watersheds and the Yaak Forest Council. It’s time we put wildlife first. Help us in our effort to protect 1.8 million acres of land, the habitat that wildlife needs for generations to come.

The Likisstoyi’tsi A’komomimm National Monument
(Blackfoot for “A Sanctuary of Love”) would effectively expand the Greater Yellowstone area’s protection!

Dear Members,

Bold Visions Conservation has taken the lead in creating a new National Monument along the Montana-Idaho border protecting the Gallatin Range. Our goal is to create the first Monument dedicated to wildlife. Meaning a Monument that does not allow trapping or the killing of any predator species. The area remains one of the most important wildlife corridors in the lower 48, and we are working to protect more than 1.6 million acres of land. The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, supports this proposal as do some key conservation groups that will announce soon. They are part of the important connection of traditional peoples to the land and wildlife.

The two major National forests in our proposal are the Custer-Gallatin and the Caribou-Targhee. Both currently have shameful forest plans that are opening them to logging and excessive off-road and snowmobile usage.

We have mapped the area and written the biological reports mentioned. The time has come to protect this area to protect it from industrial logging, road construction, and the invasion of off-road vehicles.

Please help us protect a vital unit of Yellowstone National Park and essentially grow the park to more than 3.8 million acres, allowing wolves, grizzlies, bison, and other wildlife species to thrive.

This Monument is a way to protect vital keystone species and stop the push by wildlife agencies, trappers, and trophy hunters to control wildlife in Montana and Idaho.

None of this comes cheap, but we are working to educate communities, members of Congress, and the President with staff in Washington, D.C.

Protecting Montana & Idaho Public Land

If we work to allow wildlife to thrive, then we must protect the lands they inhabit. Protection of lands comes in many forms: National Parks, Wilderness Areas, National Monuments, State Parks, etc.

Having worked on many of these landscape protections, it is vital that we focus on protecting lands so wildlife can thrive! In Montana, Senator Daine’s, Congressmen Zinke and Governor Gianforte are no friends of public lands. Zinke, while self-dealing when he headed the Interior, has never supported public lands. During his tenure at Interior, he never saw a drill rig or mining project he did not support.

Daines’ voting record on the environment is closer to zero. He has publicly declared his desire to slaughter wolves and open a killing season on grizzlies, to remove all Wilderness Study Areas and open lands to snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.

Governor Gianforte has illegally killed a wolf near the Yellowstone border and allowed it to suffer in a trap for days. Gianforte also loves trapping wildlife.

We can and must do better if wildlife is to thrive.

We are building the coalitions needed to succeed and make land conservation a powerful wildlife story. We must work to protect vital areas that will expand Yellowstone’s boundaries.There are many such areas in Montana, and Idaho thin rural areas that continue to push trapping. If we cannot get the Fish, Wildlife and Parks and other key agencies to stop the madness of trapping, then we must protect lands and not allow this mid-evil torture to continue, we must learn to co-exist with wildlife and not let these powers control our public lands. These are Americans public lands and America does not support Trapping.

Be a voice for change, and help us make a difference in the protection of vital lands and wildlife!

Chronicle

The history of Likisstoyi’tsi A’komomimm National Monument

𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗜𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝟭𝟵𝟭𝟯

Why was Muir invited to the Railroad Ranch in Island Park in 1913? Here’s an overview of the relationship between John Muir and the Edward H. Harriman family — and why Muir was invited to the Railroad Ranch.

The Muir–Harriman Connection

The friendship between Muir and Harriman goes back at least to the late 1890s, when Harriman — the great railroad magnate — invited Muir to join an ambitious scientific expedition along the Alaska coast. Muir’s expertise in glaciology and natural history made him a valuable participant. (PBS)

Over time, Muir became a frequent guest of the Harriman family at their various retreats. Their hospitality and shared appreciation for wilderness gave Muir a social — as well as ideological — network supportive of his preservationist ideals. (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)

After Harriman’s death in 1909, his widow, Mary W. Harriman, continued to maintain the family’s properties and relationships — including with Muir. (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)

In short: Muir and the Harrimans shared an appreciation for nature, wilderness, and conservation — which made their friendship mutually beneficial. Harriman provided access, resources, and social influence, while Muir offered scientific insight, conservationist values, and prestige among intellectual and environmental circles.

What Was the Railroad Ranch — and Why It Mattered

The Railroad Ranch (in what is now part of Harriman State Park in Idaho) was a large, remote estate owned by a company in which the Harriman family held significant interest. It served as a private retreat, especially for hunting, fishing, and nature-oriented vacations. (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)
The Harrimans used the ranch as a “wilderness escape” — an antidote to their busy lives in finance and high society. (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)

Thus the Railroad Ranch was very much in line with both Harriman’s and Muir’s shared values: a rustic, natural place removed from the trappings of modern urban life — a setting ideal for rest, reflection, and communion with nature.

Why Muir Was Invited There in 1913

In a letter dated August 7, 1913, Mary W. Harriman invited Muir to come to the Railroad Ranch, suggesting the train to Salt Lake City (or Ogden) and then a connecting “Oregon short line branch road” that would bring him to their ranch. She promised a “welcome & a peaceful ranch life.” (Scholarly Commons)

Muir accepted: at exactly the time when he was deeply involved in his conservation efforts — most notably his battle to prevent flooding of the Hetch Hetchy Valley — he took about ten days off for rest and rejuvenation at the Harriman Ranch. As he later wrote friends, the stay “greatly delighted me. This so far has been my only summer outing.” (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)

So the invitation functioned both as a respite from his exhausting conservation campaign and as an expression of the Harrimans’ gratitude and support. It reaffirmed their friendship and their shared love of the outdoors. (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)

Significance — Beyond a Vacation

The invitation (and Muir’s acceptance) symbolized more than a simple holiday: it illustrated how social and financial elites (like the Harrimans) could offer support — material, social, and moral — to the early conservation movement. Muir’s association with the Harrimans strengthened his ability to influence public opinion and policy. (PBS)

For the Harrimans, hosting Muir reinforced their own commitment to conservation and wilderness appreciation — values likely passed to the next generation. (fremontcountyhistoricalsociety.org)

To See John Muir’s journal used during his visit to Island Park in 1913, click below. . .

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a0-eWqk06yHx50OHnBGW2lfP7yruF-6a/view?usp=drive_link

*Credit: Neil Wickham
Neal Wickham is a retired Construction Engineer who has lived or worked in several western states. He grew up in Ashton, Idaho and worked and recreated in nearby Island Park, Idaho and southwest Montana from a very young age. He still visits the area regularly. He began advocating a national monument for Island Park in 2014 when he began to research and write about the area’s fascinating history and collected and restored many historic photographs. He has written hundreds of local history articles that he published on his national monument advocacy Facebook page and elsewhere.