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COURT BEAT 15 COUNTY BEAT 14 CITY BEAT 14 Newsworthy
Badger Two-Medicine Hearing Draws Overwhelming Support Advisory Council on Historic Preservation hears testimony in favor of lease withdrawal on land held culturally sacred by Blackfeet
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
A Sept. 2 meeting held by the Advi- sory Council on Historic Preservation in Choteau featured overwhelming support for the withdrawal of leases on the Bad- ger-Two Medicine, an area with cultural and ecological linkages to the Blackfeet Nation and Glacier National Park.
In addition to the public testimony, letters of support for lease cancellation by Gov. Steve Bullock, the Glacier County Commissioners and seven former Glacier Park superintendents were submitted.
The meeting was the latest step by the Blackfeet tribe and a coalition of conservation organizations to inter- dict an exploratory oil well proposed by Louisiana-based Solenex LLC, which acquired the energy lease in 1982. The efforts to drill have long been delayed by legal challenges, and Solenex has filed a lawsuit arguing the delays have been unreasonable.
Last week’s hearing was aimed at weighing industrial interests against the cultural values of the sacred lands and is standard whenever companies seek to operate in a designated “Traditional Cul- tural District” such as the Badger-Two Medicine.
The meeting was a rare occurrence in the realm of consultation in a drilling dis- pute, however, and serves as a conduit to
The Badger-Two Medicine area near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
was introduced. In it, the former park managers call the Blackfeet Nation one of Glacier’s largest and most influential neighbors, and praised the tribe’s stead- fast insistence that industrialization of the region cannot be mitigated.
“It is important to recognize that the cultural and spiritual connections between the Badger-Two Medicine, Gla- cier Park and the Blackfeet Nation are not cultural artifacts. They are part of a living, ancient and complex relationship between people and this special land- scape – past, present and future,” the let- ter states.
The former superintendents who wrote the letter are: Phillip Iverson, Rob- ert Haraden, H. Gilbert Lusk, Suzanne Lewis, Mick Holm, and Chas Cartwright.
In a letter sent to Blackfeet Tribal Business Council Chairman Harry Barnes, Bullock voiced his support for withdrawal of his leases, and his con- cern that they were granted illegally, and without proper consultation with the Blackfeet.
“There are legitimate concerns regarding the lack of consultation with the Blackfeet Nation at the time the leases were granted. While most of the leaseholders have voluntarily relin- quished their leases, a few leases remain and should be canceled,” Bullock wrote.
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killed in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. The monument, located on the Flathead Lake Lodge’s Elk Preserve, remembers U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, State Department employee Sean Smith, and CIA contractors and retired Navy Seals Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, who were all killed at the U.S. consulate.
The memorial event starts at 5:30 p.m. and features three speakers, including a former New York City Police Department lieutenant, a retired U.S. Army major general and a former CIA agent. Imme- diately after, a dinner is being held to raise money for the DeliverFund, which rescues victims of human trafficking. For more information call (406) 551-3030.
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the president and Congress. In this case, the Advisory Council on Historic Pres- ervation is charged with determining whether the effects of the proposed well, which would sit on the north end of the 165,000-acre Blackfeet Traditional Cul- tural District, could be mitigated.
The ACHP serves as an advisory council to the president and Congress, and must submit its recommendation to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack by Sept. 21. Vilsack will then make a recom- mendation to the secretary of the Interior
on whether the lease permit should be released from its suspension. Interior Secretary Sally Jewel will have the final say on the issue.
Around 50 people spoke in favor of lease cancelation at the meeting. The lone proponent, Steve Lechner, an attorney representing Solenex, said the explor- atory well would have little impact on the area.
In addition to the public support for withdrawal, a letter from six former superintendents of Glacier National Park
Locals to Gather for 9/11 Remembrances
This week marks 14th anniversary of terror attacks, third anniversary of Benghazi attack
BY BEACON STAFF
Fourteen years and 2,389 miles sep- arate the Flathead Valley from New York City and the events of September 11, 2001. But despite that distance, locals are still gathering this week to remember the attack that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City and Washington, D.C. and a terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans three years ago.
While many will remember the vic- tims of those two events in their own pri- vate way, others will be gathering for pub- lic memorials. In Kalispell, the Calvary Lutheran Church on U.S. Highway 2 East will be having a worship service to remem- ber the victims starting at 6:30 p.m.
Other remembrances will take place across the region, including at the Fern- dale Volunteer Fire Department. In years past, firefighters there have stood guard in front of their fire hall with an Ameri- can flag throughout the day.
On a national level, the American Red Cross is urging people to donate blood to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. The national blood drive is part of 9/11 Day, which has been designated by Con- gress as a national day of service.
“This annual observance increas- ingly resonates with people with each passing year, for the benefit of count- less people and communities in need, and that’s surely gratifying,” said Jay S. Winuk, co-founder of 9/11 Day. “Those
who participate are making a real dif- ference. The Red Cross is an ideal part- ner to engage people to step forward, and we’re confident that blood donors, volun- teers and organizations will answer this call for help while honoring the heroes of 9/11.”
Two blood drives will take place in the Kalispell area on Friday. The Kalis- pell Blood Donation Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 126 North Merid- ian Road. A blood drive will also take place at the Super 1 on First Ave East from noon to 4:30 p.m.
An event will also be held at Averill’s Flathead Lake Lodge south of Bigfork at a memorial that was dedicated there last year to remember the four Americans
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM