After months of smoke filled skies, the blanket of winter has returned to the northern Rockies. Our stunning vistas are once again visible. 2017 was a record breaking fire season here in Montana, as 141 wildfires burned across our state – affecting over a million acres. Montanans were evacuated, homes were lost, businesses were hurt, and federal and state budgets were severely impacted.  …We traveled to Washington, D.C. a couple weeks ago and were surprised to see Congress proposing new laws to reform forest management faster than one can assign them a bill number. While we appreciate the effort, this reactive frenzy of bill drafting is not in the best interest of our forests or Montanans. Most of the current bills lack bipartisan support and are likely to hurt – not help – our forests and communities.