Aren’t we lucky! We live in the Flathead Valley where we can open the Flathead Beacon and read about a grizzly bear that swam across Flathead Lake! What an amazing lead story for the “Amazing” issue of the Beacon! Where else in the Lower 48 can you share the same air with such an … amazing creature?
Bragging rights come with living here. How many readers take pride in living in the Flathead Valley? Most, probably. How many readers talked about our Olympic grizzly bear? How many shared the story with family and friends living in other, less-rich places?
A few decades ago, the grizzly bear in the Flathead and Montana was just about wiped out. Today, in 2015, it’s almost recovered thanks to the efforts of countless people, the dedication of the greatest nation on earth, and the protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act – the ESA. An amazing success story.
The Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park provide the home and secure habitat for the griz. These vital public lands – our public lands – endow us with a natural wealth we share as residents of the Flathead.
But right now, the Flathead Forest is making key, long-term, planning decisions that will affect grizzly habitat as well as the American public’s ability to enjoy this public treasure.
Let’s maintain the Flathead National Forest as a “Flagship National Forest” for its leadership in public land conservation and stewardship. Get involved in the planning process. Advocate for continued protection of wildlife and our shrinking wildlands.
More information may be found at www.headwatersmontana.org or www.fs.usda.gov/flathead/
You live in grizzly country! Stand up for it!
Dave Hadden, executive director
Headwaters Montana