Guest Edit: A Montana-Driven Solution to Access in the Crazy Mountains

As a third-generation cattle rancher and a former three-term Senate member of the Montana Legislature, I have seen firsthand the power of Montanans rolling up their sleeves and working collaboratively to achieve a common goal. It’s the Montana way.

Our family’s multi-generational ranch, located northwest of Big Timber, is a stone’s throw away from the jagged and awe-inspiring Crazy Mountain island range.

For over 5 years now, I have witnessed a diversity of Montanans coming together to solve a complex problem on the east side of the Crazy Mountains: the “checkerboarding” of public and private...