A bill to name a peak in the Madison Range for a prominent conservationist has cleared both the U.S. House and Senate, and will now be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The bill will dub an unnamed peak in the Madison Range for the late Alex Diekmann, who worked as a project manager for the Trust for Public Land out of its Bozeman office. Diekmann died of cancer in 2016.
The bill cleared the U.S. Senate in late December and was passed out of the U.S. House on Tuesday.
In a news release issued by the Trust for Public Lands on Tuesday, Lisa Diekmann, wife of Alex, thanked Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines, Congressman Greg Gianforte and Alex’s colleagues for their work. She said Alex’s commitment to conservation and collaboration will be an inspiration for others.
“This is a great way to start the new year,” Lisa said.
Will Rogers, president and CEO of the Trust For Public Lands, also praised the passage of the legislation. This bill, he said, permanently adds Alex’s name to an area where he worked so successfully.
Rogers said friends and colleagues knew Alex “as a passionate, tireless and extremely effective advocate for conserving special places like the Madison Valley and the Gallatin.”
All three members of Montana’s congressional delegation praised the passage of the bill in a joint news release on Tuesday.
Gianforte, a member of the House committee that advanced the bill, said the peak’s designation “will honor (Alex’s) life.”
Daines said “(Alex’s) work will have a lasting impact on conservation and outdoor recreation in Montana.”
Tester said Alex will be forever remembered and the peak “will be a destination for sportsmen and women to celebrate our outdoor heritage.”
The peak is 9,756 feet tall. It sits on the western edge of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.