| You do not have to be an angler, or a rancher, to know that water is important to the economy of Montana . We look to spring rains and snowpack to determine recreational and irrigation needs. Hunting, fishing and enjoying the outdoors are part of the heritage of frontier living, but Montanans also know that the aesthetic and environmental integrity of our natural resources are important to attracting tourists. In other words, the nature of Montana 's streams cannot be taken for granted.
Gordon Sullivan gives us real insight into what it means to save the rivers we love most. SAVING HOMEWATERS tells of the key conservation and restoration policies that set the stage for the waters that now draw visitors and anglers from around the world. John Wesley Powell, Aldo Leopold, The Fish & Game Commission, the 1963 Stream Protection Act, the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention---all had important roles as policymakers who gave direction for dealing with environmental challenges.
In the second part of the book we learn of the advocates for our streams and rivers, which are once again facing environmental threats. The Blackfoot, Kootenai, Flathead, Missouri, Madison, Beaverhead, Rock Creek, Clark Fork --to name a few--are all discussed along with the determined anglers, outfitters, biologists, and political leaders who have stepped forward to protect them.
These words from the epilogue tell it all:
"Our trout streams are what they are today because even though we chased the fantasies of boom and bust economies for decades, we were somehow able to save a portion of our most important gift: water. Pure water is a resource that has no equal. When weighed against all the gold, silver, copper, coal, beaver pelts, logs and oil taken from our state, water is the only one we cannot live without. It is the real gold Montana can brag about, the solitary component without which nothing lasts very long."
Gordon Sullivan is a Montana native and professional photographer, with a life long passion for environmental studies.
Barbara Theroux is the manager of Fact & Fiction, now part of the Bookstore at the University of Montana.
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