Last month, I was elected western Montana’s Democratic nominee for Congress, one of the great honors of my life. Since then, in the rare quiet moments, I’ve found myself thinking about history, and about all the men and women who’ve dedicated themselves to building this country. Today, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, these reflections on our nation’s past continue to fill me with an abiding hope for our future.

After a year of secret, behind-closed-door negotiations, the U.S. Forest Service recently authorized massive amounts of gas-powered chainsaw use in the largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48 with no opportunities for public comment, no environmental review, and no regard for federal laws, including the Wilderness Act.