Legislation introduced last month by Sen. Jon Tester (R-MT) would create a first of its kind “cultural heritage area” for Badger-Two Medicine, the Blackfeet Nation’s traditional homeland.
Following the D.C. Court of Appeals’ decision to cancel all oil and gas leases in the area, the legislation proposes permanent protection to the 127,000 acres located in the Rocky Mountain Front flanked by the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier National Park and Bob Marshall Wilderness.
“A few weeks ago, the Blackfeet Tribe and the people of Montana won a huge victory for our public lands when the last oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine was remanded to a lower court,” said Tester in a press release. “Now it’s time we build on this momentum and continue the fight to safeguard this sacred area, which is why I am introducing legislation that honors the will of the Blackfeet Tribe and public lands owners across our state by permanently protecting the Badger-Two Medicine for future generations.”
According to the press release, the legislation would build upon existing protections by prohibiting commercial timber harvest, excluding vegetation management; making permanent the existing road construction ban; banning the use of motorized vehicles and mountain bikes; and prohibiting new structures including water facilities, pipelines, or buildings of any kind. Maintenance of existing structures, grazing allotments, and current activities would still be permitted.
The designated area includes no private property and only one active grazing lease, which would be grandfathered in, according to Tester’s office.
The Badger-Two Medicine Act is a collaborative effort of several groups over the years, which includes not only the Blackfeet Nation but the Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, hunters and anglers, landowners, recreationists, and other tribal and non-tribal residents throughout the region.
Tester’s bill is nearly identical to the legislation proposed by the Blackfeet Nation by designating it as a National Heritage Area.
“The Blackfeet Nation has maintained a profound connection to the Badger-Two Medicine since time immemorial,”said Timothy Davis, chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council in a press release. “It is our last cultural refuge, home to many of our origin stories, a stronghold for our ceremonies and traditions, and until it is permanently protected, we cannot rest. This bill ensures the teaching of our Pikuni ancestors will be fulfilled, and we can always be connected with the sacred. We are extremely grateful to Senator Tester for his support and leadership in our effort to protect these sacred lands.”
The Badger-Two Medicine Coalition’s press release cited a poll by the University of Montana, which shows 79 percent support from Montanans for a cultural heritage area designation for the Badger-Two Medicine.
The Blackfeet Nation acknowledges that action on the legislation needs to be taken soon as Louisiana-based oil company Solenex LLC has previously stated that it intends to fight the ruling.
“We also recognize that this is just the latest fight that has been brought to our cultural doorstep,” Tim Davis, John Murray and others from the Blackfeet Nation wrote in an editorial for the Missoulian. “There have been others, and until we permanently protect our homeland there will be more.”
Last year, similar legislation was introduced by Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Lujбn (D-NM-3) and Deb Haaland(D-NM-1). Theyintroduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, S. 1079, to withdraw the federal lands around Chaco Canyon from further mineral development. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
