As one of the 12 members of the "supercommittee" charged with coming up with a plan for cutting the national debt, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has his work cut out for him. The panel has only until Thanksgiving to present its proposal.

But if anything were worth calling Baucus's attention away from this all-important task, it's the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act.

A piece of legislation many years in the making, the Heritage Act has earned strong support from all corners of Montana. Farmers and former chiefs of the U.S. Forest Service alike have spoken up in favor of the measure and called on the state's congressional delegation to sponsor it in Congress.

Last week, Baucus answered the growing call by officially agreeing to sponsor the bill this congressional session.

The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act is the result of several years of input from an ever-expanding array of interests. Even those strictly opposed to new wilderness have reason to admire this collaborative effort, which essentially "locks in" current uses.

The act seeks to add some 67,000 acres of wilderness in the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wilderness areas, designate as a Conservation Management Area an additional 208,000 acres and make noxious weed management a priority. Meanwhile, public access for fishing, hunting and recreating, as well as grazing, will continue to be allowed as usual.

If all this sounds familiar, it's probably because the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front has been out pounding the pavement - and the dirt roads, too - extolling the virtues of this unique landscape and explaining to anyone who would listen why it's so important to protect it.

Through its website (www.savethefront.org), opinion pieces, public meetings and sit-downs with stakeholders, the coalition has sought to spread the word and solicit useful feedback - feedback it has used to make "substantive changes and modifications," according to the group.

With the most difficult part of crafting this legislation already completed, it's a wonder Montana's congressional delegation hasn't signed on sooner. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., both vying for the opening Senate seat in next year's election, ought to be among those voicing their support for the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act.

"The Rocky Mountain Front is a sportsmen's paradise and considered worldwide as a crown jewel of the West," Baucus said in a prepared statement explaining his support. "We have an obligation to protect our outdoor heritage for our kids and grandkids. It's also critical for our economy to protect the treasures that bring people to Montana to open businesses, work, live and raise their families here. This is a balanced bill and a great example of a Montana-made proposal future generations will be proud of."

The senator's website, www.baucus.senate.gov, features a lot more information about the measure, including a link to the 13-page legislative text and a public comment form. Now's the time, for anyone who hasn't already, to do a little research and weigh in on the act. Many folks have spoken up already; now they need only make their support official.

EDITORIAL BOARD: Interim Publisher Jim McGowan, Editor Sherry Devlin, Opinion Editor Tyler Christensen