Matthew Koehler

Activist. Elk hunter. Golfer. Garlic grower. Old fashioned maker. Elkhart Lake cheerleader. This & that @WildernessWatch. Tweets mine. 📸 Sheboygan River, 1979

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

"The best approach to the overall stewardship of federally designated Wilderness managed in the United States is to do as the 1964 Wilderness Act dictates: leave it alone." – Suzanne Cable, @WildernessWatch Board of Director

via @MissoulaCurrent

https://t.co/7hOGXlK5jz

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

Every single fire ecologist who works for the U.S. Forest Service will tell you that aggressively suppressing the vast majority of wildfires (USFS claims a 98% initial attack success rate) will just make future fires worse.

[Congressman Cliff Bentz @RepBentz]

Today in the @NatResources Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing, “The State of Our Nation’s Federal Forests and Outlook for the 2026 Wildfire Year,” I asked U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz whether the agency is prepared for the 2026 wildfire season.

Chief Schultz confirmed the Forest Service has increased firefighting staffing levels and is prepared to respond to wildfires this year. As communities across the West face another challenging fire season, we must make sure our firefighters have the personnel, resources, and support they need to protect lives, property.

I also asked Chief Schultz to remain in contact with my office should additional firefighting resources be needed during the upcoming wildfire season.

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

Livestock are currently authorized to graze nearly 25 percent of all Wilderness acres in the lower 48 states.

New livestock grazing rules proposed by the Trump administration would greatly expanded destructive livestock grazing, including in Wilderness.

https://t.co/AZhBcq1Abj

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

@HerndonforIdaho The Idaho Dairymen’s Association heavily relies on undocumented immigrant labor. @idahodairymens estimates that foreign-born workers make up approximately 85% to 90% of the state's 8,000-plus on-farm dairy employees.

https://t.co/zuji0f2ZJj

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

Mattson Farms has raked in at least $2,272,647 in federal government USDA subsidies between 1996 and 2024, about $81,000 annually.

Source (@ewg): https://t.co/IoLIPA2bbf

[Governor Greg Gianforte @GovGianforte]

Mattson Farms in Liberty County is a fourth-generation Montana farm with roots dating back to 1910. I enjoyed visiting their operation and seeing spring planting in action.

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

Our new lawsuit with our allies is challenging the U.S. government’s policy of allowing federal agents to kill wildlife—including wolves, bears, cougars, and coyotes using poisons, traps, and aerial gunning—inside designated Wilderness.

Learn more >>> https://t.co/Whfu6Ptssr

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

"The best approach to the overall stewardship of federally designated Wilderness managed in the United States is to do as the 1964 Wilderness Act dictates: leave it alone." – Suzanne Cable, @WildernessWatch Board of Director

via @MissoulaCurrent

https://t.co/7hOGXlK5jz

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

“Killing native species to appease the livestock industry violates the Wilderness Act,” said Dan Brister of Wilderness Watch. “In Wilderness, Congress mandated that the Forest Service protect nature—not industry profits.”

>>> https://t.co/Whfu6Ptssr

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

Together with our allies, we’ve just filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. government’s policy of allowing federal agents to kill wildlife—including wolves, bears, cougars, and coyotes using poisons, traps, and aerial gunning—inside designated Wilderness.

https://t.co/hZrMiTLlYL

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

"Most western conifer forests have always harbored mixed- to high-severity fire. And by most, I mean 85%, according to Land Fire database. Only 15% - mostly in Arizona and New Mexico - is low severity.” – University of Montana ecologist Richard Hutto

https://t.co/CwrRFjCDma

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

You've been lied to for decades....

"Forest managers claim logging projects are needed to restore Western forests and protect them from catastrophic wildfire, but a former University of Montana professor has research to show that isn’t so."

https://t.co/CwrRFjCDma

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

BREAKING!

New lawsuit challenges wildlife killing by federal agents inside Wilderness.

USDA’s Wildlife Services authorizes federally-subsidized “predator control” across millions of acres of public lands nationwide.

>>> https://t.co/Whfu6Ptssr

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

@bennyjohnson Maybe Helena, Montana is so nice because it is not run by Republicans. In fact, in 2024 Trump didn't even get 30% of the vote in some Helena, Montana precincts and in one Helena precinct Trump didn't even get 22% of the vote.

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

@TimSheehyMT Loser. Can you actually get to work being a Montana senator, and not acting like a 14 year old boy on Twitter? Thank you.

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

Your help is needed to block an unnecessary bill in Congress that would allow for logging, burning, and roads through giant sequoia groves in designated Wildernesses in California and could introduce human meddling in Wilderness nationwide.

Details: https://t.co/dxYAgXxTbw

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

@systemsandteams @WildernessWatch @citizensclimate You should consider supporting the Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act (H.R. 582 / S. 3609), a bill that would focus funding on scientifically supported and proven wildfire mitigation strategies, including community protection via home hardening.

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

The Palisades Fire had 100 mph wind gusts.

Palisades fire burned after LA recorded only 0.03" of precipitation in prior 6 months. This year, LA has had over 5.5" of rain, a 183,233% increase.

Also, this fuel break is likely on private land & was required as part of development.

[Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt]

Man, if only we had this around the Palisades. Perfect demonstration of how fuel breaks save lives. Keep in mind, the winds over the #SandyFire here are stronger than they were on the IA of the Palisades Fire, and yet…

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

@spencerpratt Palisades Fire had 100 mph wind gusts.

The Palisades fire burned in January, and LA recorded only 0.03" of precipitation since the previous July. This year, LA has had over 5.5" of rain.

Also, very likely this fuel break is on private land & was required as part of development.

[Wilderness Watch @WildernessWatch]

"In a letter on Wednesday, the nonprofit Wilderness Watch asked the Forest Service to delay implementation until 2027 to allow time for judicial review 'before the wilderness is overrun with chainsaws.'”

https://t.co/AEChoxUQSq

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

Here's a timeline of some of the corruption at the Signal Peak Mine in Montana, via @MTEIC.

https://t.co/jpLwaEZaxy

[Tim Sheehy @TimSheehyMT]

Had a great visit with Signal Peak mine this weekend. We can lower costs and dominate the 21st century if we unleash our resource economy and ignore the radicals who want to shut down reliable, baseload power. Let’s get it done. 🇺🇸

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

@DannyTenenbaum You're welcome. The devil is in the details with much of this type of stuff.