FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 11, 2023

(BILLINGS, Mont.) – Yesterday, the Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund took members on an expert-led field trip to Pompeys Pillar National Monument. The field trip was part of an ongoing effort to educate Montanans about the importance of National Monuments as part of our National Public Lands System. The field trip was followed by a Pint Night at Thirsty Street Brewing where the MCV Education Fund unveiled their new Montana National Monuments Guidebook.

“Montana has plenty of spectacular public lands, but there is something special about the state’s three National Monuments,” according to the guide. “Just like National Forests and Parks, National Monuments can protect habitat and ecosystems and give the public access to great places to hike, camp, hunt, bike, and other traditional public land uses. But it’s their unique focus on historic and cultural preservation that makes National Monuments such a special and important conservation tool.”

Event attendees enjoyed hearing about the site’s interesting history while exploring the lookout at Pompeys Pillar. The group also heard about new plans from the Interior Department to protect this unique monument’s carvings from erosion. Montanans who attended the pint night connected with the MCV Education Fund staff about National Monuments and the MCV Education Fund’s new digital visitor guide.

“Pompeys Pillar has seen so much history,” said Park Ranger Garrett Christensen. “We’re in a spot that has been used for thousands of years as a meeting place for Native peoples. So many explorers, travelers, and settlers have spent time in this beautiful place, and that history makes the work we do to protect it for the public very rewarding.”

The guidebook details the history of each of Montana’s three National Monuments, while providing tips and advice for visiting each area. All located in central and eastern Montana, Montana’s National Monuments are Pompeys Pillar National Monument, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.

The new national monuments guidebook is available online here. 

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The Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund is a non-profit, non-partisan organization engaging all Montanans and their communities by empowering them to protect our clean air, clean water, public lands and voting rights through education, mobilization and the power of grassroots advocacy. The MCV Education Fund programs educate the public about critical environmental and public lands issues; promote greater nonpartisan citizen involvement in the democratic process; and provide strategic tools to conservation organizations to be more effective. Visit mtvotersedfund.org for more details.

CONTACT

Anthony Licata
Communications Director
Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund

406-426-2645