Lincoln Prosperity Proposal

The proposal comes from the Lincoln Prosperity Group, composed of conservationists, outfitters, ranchers, firefighters, business leaders, hunters, motorized users and mountain bikers from Lincoln, Helena and Great Falls. Wild Montana is a founding member of this coalition.

Five years in the making, the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal (LPP) breaks through decades of conflict and logjam among interest groups and offers solutions for managing public lands that will protect those lands, boost local economies, create jobs, and enhance outdoor recreation.

The proposal calls for enlarging the Scapegoat Wilderness by 16,000 acres and for designating 63,000 acres as conservation management areas, a move that would prevent any future development in these areas and freeze current use to the minimal level it is today.

Moreover, the proposal calls for the creation of the first new wilderness area Montana has seen in nearly 40 years – the 40,000-acre Nevada Mountain Wilderness, located about 25 miles northwest of Helena (as the crow flies).

All of these conservation measures would help secure wildlife habitat along the Continental Divide, a crucial corridor that allows animals to migrate between larger wild regions, as they must to thrive.

The LPP also includes forest restoration components that would restore prized fisheries, create sustainable jobs, restore natural forest conditions, and reduce wildfire risk. Moreover, it would enhance outdoor recreation opportunities by adding and securing 400 new acres of a snowmobile winter use area, securing 65 miles of mountain bike access, and creating a 70-mile off-highway vehicle trail loop.

The lands addressed in the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal are the traditional homelands of the Séliš (Salish), Q’lispé (Pend d’Oreille), Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis (Kootenai), and the Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot Confederacy).

Why we care about these lands and waters

• Grizzly bears, wolverines, Canada lynx, wolves, other carnivores, as well as elk, mule deer, and moose use the Continental Divide and surrounding wildlands to migrate between larger wild regions, such as and the Crown of the Continent, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and Central Idaho.
• A protected Continental Divide will help ensure habitat exists for wildlife moving in response to a changing climate.
• Protected public lands and enhanced access will help boost local economies, including those of Lincoln, Helena, and Great Falls.

The history

The Lincoln Prosperity Group dates back to 2015, when a coalition of conservationists, outfitters, ranchers, firefighters, business leaders, hunters, and mountain bikers from the Lincoln and Helena area started working collaboratively towards a proposal for managing public lands near Lincoln and southward along the Continental Divide.

The product of that collective work is the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal, which would make a Nevada Mountain Wilderness Area a reality, something conservationists from around the state have advocated for well over 60 years.

Take action

Our partners

• Upper Blackfoot Community Council
• Lincoln Restoration Committee
• Ponderosa Snow Warriors
• The Wilderness Society
• Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Association
• Montana Wildlife Federation

Get involved

Contact Zach Angstead, field director, at zangstead@wildmontana.org.