HAMILTON – Ravalli County commissioners are asking Attorney General Tim Fox to check into who is funneling money into several conservation groups that have been advocating on issues like the Wilderness Study Areas debate.
Commissioners have been under fire for supporting a proposal by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) to remove some "proposed" Wilderness Study Areas from the list of possible WSAs turning those federal lands back into resource production.
Commissioners were hammered at a hearing last winter for considering the move without providing more public input. The board didn’t change its position but in the months since then, some conservation groups have continued pressure over the issue.
Commissioners claim in the letter approved last week the county has been "attacked by well-funded organizations" who engaged in "misleading political activity."
They are also asking the Montana Attorney General to investigate where the money is coming from but groups like the Montana Wildlife Federation are questioning the source of those claims.
