The Forest Service is planning to log the old growth forest on Kirk Hill soon - one the most beloved and valuable local patches of old growth left near Bozeman. The national forest trail on Kirk Hill is extremely popular with local hikers and dog walkers. It takes you into pristine, old growth Douglas fir forest.

In order to log, they'll need to punch in a new logging road, which will completely alter Kirk Hill for decades.

The logging is proposed under the auspices of the "Bozeman Municipal Watershed Project," which is designed to allegedly protect the city watershed from the impact of a forest fire. The City of Bozeman claims logging will save our watershed.

But Kirk Hill drains into Leverich Creek and Hodgman Canyon, neither of which contribute to the city's drinking water supply.

Logging like this rarely turns a profit, but must be subsidized by the public, while destroying old growth forest that is important for wildlife, for carbon storage, and for aesthetics.

This logging is supposed to reduce fire danger, but logging frequently increases fire danger by drying out the forest, encouraging weeds and brush to grow, and increasing wind speeds through the forest.

Tell Custer Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson to stop the logging. Kirk Hill does not need logging. We need the old growth forest of Kirk Hill. We need nature sanctuaries, not roads and stumps.

For more information, visit Friends of Kirk Hill on Facebook.

A little more context: The lower loops of Kirk Hill are owned by Montana State University and are not going to be logged. But as soon as you walk uphill past the MSU loops into the national forest you will now see lots of ugly spray paint on the trees. These are timber sale markers. Logging may commence in the fall of 2020.