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In October 1999, President Clinton issued an Executive Order creating the roadless initiative. The initiative sought to preserve over 40 million acres of roadless areas in the national forest system, including over five million acres in Montana. As the Forest Service began holding meetings to gather public comment, wise use groups quickly attacked the plan as being part of a "War on the West" and the initial step of a grand conspiracy to lock extractive industry out of all public lands. For the wise use movement, Clinton's initiative became an organizing tool at the grassroots level. Federal agencies became the enemy, and the Forest Service was frequently attacked during Montana's public meetings as being an "aggressive power-grabbing rogue entity" and "fascist." The wise use movement's determination is exemplified by the "Citizens Against Roadless Expansion" (CARE) rally held in Missoula on June 21.

The events of June 21^st began with a logging-truck convoy. Trucks left Libby early in the morning and proceeded to Kalispell where they were joined by a group from Eureka. The combined convoy headed for Missoula. Cary Hegreberg said Missoula was a prime location, because it was where many of the environmental groups supporting the roadless initiative are located.

At about 5:00 p.m., the convoy arrived at the University of Montana's Adams Center where the rally was already underway. A total of about 2,000 people showed up for the event. Vehicles in the parking lot sported "SOS" bumper stickers, alluding to Jim Hurst's "Shovels of Solidarity" [see related article on page __]. Many people wore Montanans for Multiple Use T-shirts. Montanans for Multiple Use, one of the state's largest wise use groups, has done extensive organizing around the roadless initiative.

Parked in the main rally area was Hurst's Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper is a semi-trailer that lists all the timber mills that have closed in Montana since 1988. Hurst also brought a 40-foot long picnic table that was on its way to Elko, Nevada, in support of the anti-government Jarbidge Rebellion [see related article on page __.] Support for the rebellion was found throughout the gathering, including a truck adorned with the words "10,000 Shovels for Jarbidge."

Using typical War on the West rhetoric, a written statement by U.S. House candidate Dennis Rehberg circulated through the crowd. Rehberg said, "Unethical claims and intellectual dishonesty by environmental extremist academics have de-valued our communities and our state." Rehberg's slam at academics was directed at UM economist Tom Power. Power had studied the roadless plan's economic impact and found that 80 percent of the proposed roadless areas are not suitable for timber harvest. Power argues that the timber industry's negative response to the roadless initiative is about economic appetite. "It [timber industry's response] says the timber industry wants every single acre," he said.

Organizers of the rally built a large coffin with "RIP Clinton-Gore Roadless Plan" written on the side. On top of the coffin were forms for people to provide written comment on the roadless initiative. The coffin was to be delivered to the roadless hearing at the Double Tree later that evening.

Prior to the hearing, a moderator said an agreement had been reached between the Forest Service and the rally's organizers. The organizers would encourage rally participants to submit written testimony, if the Forest Service would allow one rally representative to testify in person. The Forest Service had agreed to the proposal, and the hearing began at 7:00 p.m. Most of the people giving oral testimony favored the roadless plan. However, the anti-roadless people in attendance let their voices be heard, booing, hissing and snickering at anyone who spoke in favor of the plan.

The agreement between the rally organizers and the Forest Service didn't stop rally goers from trying to crash the hearing. About 7:30, a "funeral" procession marched from the CARE rally to the Double Tree. Led by two men playing bagpipes, pallbearers wearing green hard hats delivered the wooden casket filled with written comments from the rally. The marchers tried to gain entrance to the hearing. They were denied, because the room was already filled to capacity.

The protestors began chanting, "WE WANT IN" as the bagpipes continued playing. Among those in the mob outside were people wearing buttons with a shovel in front of the American flag, obviously supporting the Jarbidge Rebellion. A person was also handing out pamphlets for the Constitution Party of Montana. The party, based on militia and extreme right-wing ideology, is fielding candidates in the November election. After about half an hour, the crowd began to disperse and headed back to the Adams Center. Shortly thereafter, the caravan of logging trucks headed out of town, blaring horns as they passed over the bridge adjacent to the Double Tree.