Rep. Denny Rehberg’s proposal for swapping the national forest land underneath the statue of Jesus on Big Mountain for private land nearby is less sensible than it initially appears. The swap would create an enclave of private land in the Flathead National Forest. That’s not good land management practice.
Rehberg knows this, but he doesn’t give a damn. If creating a private inholding on the Flathead National Forest wins votes by pandering to the overly devout and veterans who think they’re being dissed, the more new private inholdings the better. After all, if Denny’s elected to the U.S. Senate he’ll probably favor selling national forest lands to ranchers, timber barons, and real estate moguls.