Dear John,
Our national parks and public lands set us apart from the rest of the world, and Montana’s gateway communities know firsthand the benefits and challenges they bring.
Increased recreation on our public lands and national parks supports jobs and boosts local economies. However, if we don’t work with local partners and put forth commonsense policies, it can also strain Montana communities, housing and employees.
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| In August 2019, Daines held a hearing live from Grant Kohrs National Park to discuss visitation at smaller park units. |
As the top Republican on the Senate’s National Parks Subcommittee, I introduced a bipartisan bill to support Montana gateway communities and address challenges facing national parks and public lands like increased visitation and housing shortages.
My bill would address increased visitation by establishing a program at the Department of the Interior and Forest Service to help boost visitation at lesser known parks and recreation areas and make visitation and crowd level data readily available for visitors.
My bipartisan bill also requires the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to coordinate with Montana gateway communities to identify and address community needs such as housing shortages and demands on existing municipal infrastructure.
As your voice in the United States Senate, I will continue working to address these concerns and support the needs of Montana gateway communities that in turn will help boost local economies and preserve our public lands for future generations.
Sincerely,
Senator Steve Daines
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