Guest column by CHUCK BLIXRUD

For most of our lives, my wife and I have made our home at the base of Ear Mountain along the Rocky Mountain Front. I couldn't have asked for a better life in a better place.

For more than 50 years our economic livelihood has been tied to this wild country, this last best place. I'd like to thank Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., for helping us ensure it and our cherished backcountry traditions will always be there. Baucus is helping us move forward a shared vision for the Front - the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act.

In our time operating the 7 Lazy P guest ranch, we have been visited by thousands of guests from around the country and even the world. These guests come from all walks of life. It never matters whether they are conservatives like myself, liberals or somewhere in between - the sense of wonder is always the same. They come here because they are looking for something that's gone missing from the rest of America; a way of life that is hard to find in a modern fast-changing world.

Most of them eventually find what they are looking for somewhere along their trip. They've told me they find it in the awe-inspiring limestone mountains that traverse this area north to south or in the fall colors of cottonwoods along the Teton River. Some of them find it on the trail of their first bull elk in truly wild country or simply by sitting on the porch and breathing in the cool mountain air while reflecting on life and loved ones.

The Front has that effect on people. It's a place where friendships are forged regardless of where you come from or where your political allegiance lies. As testament to that, Montanans have banded together again and again for their Rocky Mountain Front for over a century. Whether that was creating the Sun River Game Preserve in 1913 or fighting off oil and gas development on federal leases in 2006, folks from all walks have found a common purpose in keeping the Front the way it is.

But even after all that, there is still work to do be done. There are just no guarantees that motorized travel won't expand to new ridgetops or that bad legislation in Congress won't punch new roads across this great landscape one day. In fact, there is legislation in the House of Representatives right now that would allow "forward operating military bases" on the public lands of the Rocky Mountain Front.

In a place as special as this we can't leave our future to chance alone. If we want to pass on the Montana way of life to future generations, we need a custom-tailored plan to keep the Front the way it is now. That's why I'm so grateful for Baucus. He is helping us carve out our destiny by listening to Montanans and moving a shared vision forward.

At a time when many in the country are accusing our highest political institutions of Congress of being gridlocked and letting politicking get in the way of solutions, it's a breath of fresh air that Montanans have been able to put aside their differences and work something out. The Heritage Act will keep the things we value the way they are today; world-class hunting and fishing, weed-free family ranches and the pristine backcountry which supports our cherished traditions.

I feel we'd lose something great if we lost our wild country. Thanks to Baucus, this Rocky Mountain Front will withstand the test of time. One day, our grandchildren will thank us too for all the time and effort we put into this.

Chuck Blixrud has operated the 7 Lazy P guest ranch alongside his wife Sharon for more than 50 years.