Here is the email I sent. Tried to be polite and courteous while also showing how displeased I am about the whole thing. More than anything I would like more specific info on why this is necessary, how it got to this point, and what lands are proposed for the give away.
Senator Tester,
I appreciate everything you have done during your time in office in support of sportsmen/women and the land and wildlife that we love. You have made some great strides in bringing competing interests together to compromise on such issues as the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act as well as made some difficult stances such as with the Wolf Rider.
After all of the great things you have done I find it hard to believe that you played a role in the Ft. Belknap Tribe Water Settlement. I realize that it is not a done deal and I hope that you will reconsider this massive public land give away.
As you know, for most of us montana sportsmen public lands are where we recreate. Access to these lands has been decreasing at an alarming rate over our lifetimes and I am disappointed to hear that you would have anything to do with perpetuating this trend. I personally have never used these lands but I do have friends that recreate in the Grinnell Notch area, and I would hate to see it lost.
I can find very little specific info on the BLM and State Lands to be given to the tribe. I would like to request a map of these lands as well as any other information pertinent to this settlement so that I may better understand it.
Thank you,
