From more than 10,000 feet above the ground, the Gallatin and Madison Ranges look almost like cresting waves, rising toward their peak but never breaking.

A light haze of wildfire smoke hung in the afternoon air, yet from the window of a Cessna the two ranges, split by the Gallatin River canyon, stood sharp relief above the sea of Douglas firs, lodgepole pines and jagged rocky peaks.

On the ground, each range envelopes recreationists in dense forest and secluded lakes, offering the feeling of being light years away from civilization. But from above, the proximity of Bozeman and Big Sky is impossible to miss, a reminder of how quickly development is pressing against these wild landscapes, and of the uncertain future ahead for both recreation and wildlife.

During an hourlong flight, which

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