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Scientists and local advocates push to protect Yak Valley as a "climate refuge," warn of federal rollbacks
Summary
Speakers at a Missoula public presentation urged protection of the Yak Valley as a climate refugium, citing analyses that show very low formal protection rates in the Northern Rockies and the Yak and warning that recent policy proposals and executive actions could accelerate logging and limit public review.
Adam Nissan, rewilding manager with Wild Earth Guardians in Missoula, opened the event by framing recent federal actions as an immediate threat to public-lands conservation. "In response to Trump's March executive order...the Secretary of Agriculture issued a memo declaring that more than 112 million acres are under a so called emergency," Nissan said, and he warned that those steps can curtail administrative challenges and limit environmental review.
Chris Bachman, conservation director with the Yak Valley Forest Council, described the Yak Valley in far northwest Montana as a candidate "climate refuge" because of its topographic complexity, persistent winter snowpack and intact watersheds. "The Yak is home to more than a quarter of Montana's species of concern," Bachman said, and he said local groups are documenting Forest Service proposals that would affect the proposed refuge.
Dr. Dominic DellaSala, Senior Conservation Science Associate at the Conservation Biology Institute, summarized the ecoregion conservation assessment method used to identify refugia and the project's findings for the Northern Rockies. "If you look at the Northern Rockies...about 2% is in protected areas," DellaSala said. He added that roughly 16% of the ecoregion is in inventory roadless areas (IRAs) and that 32% of forests are classified as mature or old growth, with only a small share of that old forest protected. Zooming in to the Yak subunit, DellaSala said "most of the Yak is Forest Service lands—about 96%—but only 1% have been protected."
Speakers tied those conservation gaps to ongoing litigation and local campaigns. Bachman pointed to past litigation successes: "The Black Grand Project...was vacated in court," he said, and he described ongoing suits in other projects. Presenters urged that securing protections for IRAs and expanding formal protected-area networks would bring the region closer to national conservation goals such as 30% by 2030.
Organizers said they plan follow-up outreach, including op-eds and local media coverage, and encouraged students and community members to engage with local conservation groups. Nissan closed by inviting attendees to stay for one-on-one conversations with presenters.
Ending: The event concluded with an invitation to continue local advocacy and an offer by organizers to meet individually with attendees to discuss volunteer and litigation opportunities.
