Senate Joint Resolution No. [insert number] proposes to release certain wilderness study areas in Montana from consideration for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The resolution highlights that the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 required a review of specific lands for their suitability as wilderness, a review period that has long since expired. It emphasizes that many of these lands have not been formally recommended for wilderness designation and are currently in a state of legal uncertainty, which has led to extensive federal litigation and a lack of effective management. The resolution asserts that the time has come for Congress to take action to resolve the status of these lands, allowing for multiple uses that support agriculture, timber harvesting, and local economies.

The resolution calls on Congress to enact legislation that would release all wilderness study areas identified in the Montana Wilderness Study Act and the National Landscape Conservation System, as well as all inventoried roadless areas. It emphasizes the importance of implementing a multiple-use approach to land management, as mandated by federal laws, to ensure the health and sustainability of public lands in Montana. Additionally, the resolution urges the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to evaluate the impacts of land management alternatives on watersheds in these areas, which would inform Congress's deliberations on the matter.