TRAILS -- With the Forest Service backing away a little more every year from maintaining trails on national forests, one of the best volunteer-work groups the agency has ever partnered with is saying, "Whoa!"

Montana groups seek coalition to push back on USFS's new trail-funding policy
The U.S. Forest Service adopted a new model for funding trail maintenance work in December, with more funding going to more heavily-used areas near urban areas. The move has stirred up the Backcountry Horsemen, a group that's partnered with the Bitterroot National Forest to get trail projects done for themselves as well as hikers, hunters, anglers and other recreationists. 

The horsemen are reaching out to other groups who use the trails to form a coalition to press the Forest Service to restore funding for work in the Montana forest. Mack Long of the Backcountry Horseman said Montana deserves its share of trail funding.

Who can argue with that?