Guest Opinions

Many of Montana’s businesses, and the jobs they bring, wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for wide open spaces, high-quality access to public lands, and the conservation efforts of previous generations to keep our lands mostly intact.

Investments in renewable energy and efficiency provide opportunities for business owners to reduce costs and improve their bottom line. Additionally, when commercial energy users cut usage and invest in efficiency, emissions reductions can be achieved.

Montana’s benchmark wildlife conservation program, Habitat Montana, is back in the news again after voters and the Legislature made historic investments in conservation spending in 2020 and 2021. That program, available to landowners since 1987, has conserved some of Montana’s finest wildlife habitat along the Rocky Mountain Front, The Madison Valley, on the High Line and down in the Big Hole. The program helps family farmers and ranchers protect their home places, while still ensuring that the next generation has the chance to grow grass, cows and crops while also rewarding their stewardship of some of the best wildlife habitat in the world. Fish, Wildlife and Park’s 2021 Legislative report cites those 562,515 acres of private land has been conserved under conservation easements, while 387,836 acres have been put into the public realm forever through acquisition. Meanwhile, over 64,000 acres are open through leases and rights of way provided by funding from Montana’s best, last conservation tool.

Turning compassion into action has always been the Red Cross way, but we certainly don’t do it alone. That’s why we want to thank you for making Red Cross part of your community.