This piece was originally published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

This winter in Bozeman has been a weird, mild, El Niño-fueled doozy. You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief recently as much-needed snow blanketed the valley.

The new snowfall finally brought Bridger Bowl’s base to over 50 inches and put a big smile on my face while skiing laps off the ridge. More snow today means more water for our rivers this summer. In a low-snowpack year, every inch matters for our rivers. The outdoor recreation, agriculture, and fish and wildlife that make Montana the place we’ve chosen to call home rely on clean water and healthy rivers.

As a member of the Montanans for Healthy Rivers coalition, a group of conservationists, sportsmen, business owners, landowners, Tribal leaders, and local elected representatives working to protect Montana’s iconic streams, my mind is on water. Rivers are the lifeblood of Montana. A low snow year, coupled with the impacts of population growth and climate change, are stark reminders that our rivers need our help. That’s why now is the time to pass the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act (MHLA).

The MHLA will designate 20 streams as Wild and Scenic Rivers, covering 384 river miles flowing through mostly federal public lands. It includes fishing meccas like the Smith, Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin rivers, plus remote backcountry streams like the Boulder, Stillwater, and Slough Creek.

We’re grateful to U.S. Senator Jon Tester for sponsoring this bill and championing it in Congress since 2020. But the future of the MHLA and the health of these iconic Montana rivers now rests in the hands of U.S. Senator Steve Daines. That’s because Sen. Daines sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee where the legislation is expected to receive a hearing later this spring. We’re fortunate to have a Montana Senator serve as a member of this committee, but with that role comes the responsibility to stand up for our rivers, not stand in the way of their protection.

Unfortunately, two years ago Sen. Daines stood in the way of river conservation in Montana. The last time the MHLA had a hearing, Daines chose to ignore the 85 percent of Montanans who support the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act. It left me questioning whether his sportsman image is all talk and no walk.

The reality is the MHLA is deeply vetted, community driven, and broadly supported. Support for the bill comes from more than 3,000 official endorsements, including 1,300 businesses, and the Chambers of Commerce in Big Sky, Gardiner, and Red Lodge, and County Commissions in Carbon, Gallatin, Park, and Madison County. It’s received overwhelming support from local businesses that make up Montana’s booming recreation economy, and trade groups like the Montana Outfitters and Guide Association and Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana that represent almost 1000 independent outfitters and guides.

We’ve also worked with Montana’s farmers and ranchers to ensure they’re guaranteed access to clean water, maintenance of their irrigation infrastructure, and their water rights are protected. This includes conversations with the Association of Gallatin Agricultural Irrigators, the Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group, and official endorsements from the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group and Rural and Agricultural Council of America.

Sen. Daines has a second chance to stand with the overwhelming majority of Montanans who know that protecting Montana’s rivers is the right thing to do. As we anticipate the bill’s hearing this spring, we critically need Sen. Daines to support the MHLA.

I can’t guarantee another 21-inch powder day at Bridger Bowl, but Sen. Daines can guarantee his support for the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act. Please call Senator Daines (202) 224-2651 and ask him to stand up for Montana’s rivers.

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Want some guidance on what to say? Visit the link below and ask Senator Daines to support the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act.

— Chares Wolf Drimal, Deputy Director of Conservation