Page 26 - Flathead Beacon // 12.7.16

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK 28 TWO FOR THOUGHT 28 DRAWING BOARD 29 Viewpoints
LETTERS
Another Perspective on Environmental Activism
Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and their brand of environmental activism have found a better way to monetize our public lands, which is far more pro table than log- ging. They use excellent marketing tac- tics to convince well-intentioned, but uninformed, people to give them money. Rather than use this money for actually keeping the Rockies wild, helping the wildlife they defend or adding to bio- logical diversity, they instead leverage it by ling lawsuit after lawsuit using the courts to line their pockets with even more money. The best part? The costs of their actions go to others, they reap all the pro t. Give them some credit, they are really e ective at what they do. Their business plan would not work very well, if they called themselves wood ticks or leeches, parasites that best represent what they really are. Like good capi- talistsanywhere,theyaremaximizing their pro t potential. They have a pow- erful o ense. Wall Street cankers, cor- poratists, other environmental groups duped? Who would not be against that? The problem is it has always been about the money. There is no substance. It is true: The emperor has no clothes!
How can you tell? These are groups still ghting to relist wolves, a species that by any measure of the best available science has been fully recovered for 13 years and still thriving. Why do they do it? Because it is pro table. Any reason- able person observing their actions over the years can clearly see they could not care less about the land, ora and fauna. If it wasn’t about the money, they would recognize that the states are perfectly capable of managing the wolves. If they really cared, they would let the wolf go and move on to the next valid animal, wolverines. Unfortunately for the wol- verines, they are reclusive, rarely seen and don’t stir the imagination like a wolf does. They don’t have the marketing potential these groups need to reap in the pro ts. If more evidence is needed, look what is happening with the grizzly bear, another charismatic poster child. They already stopped the rst delist- ing attempt over white bark pine. Never mind the fact the bears eat just about everything and are now hanging out on the edges of our towns. There is another fortune to be made there. The science says they are recovered, but they do not care. The grizzly, like the wolf, has enor- mous marketing potential. The damage they are doing to the Endangered Spe- cies Act in order to line their own pock- ets is immeasurable and unforgivable.
How can they be stopped? Shut o their funds through education. Unfor- tunately the task is a di cult one; try- ing to counter slick marketing, playing on emotion, with logic and reason. If you nd one of their supporters, deal with them with honest debate. Can we log sustainably, protecting bull trout, lynx and wolverines, species truly threat- ened, and at the same time provide jobs and quality products the market needs? Are there National Forest lands suitable for logging? Are logged lands bene cial to certain species? Will col- laboration among the varied forest user groups protect what needs protecting? Are there conservation groups work- ing to truly protect the land, ora and fauna? Yes, to all of the above. Find one and support it and cut o the parasites.
Mark Brust White sh
Regarding your Nov. 22 article (“The Rise of the ‘Alt-Right’”) about “alt- right” Richard Spencer and his white supremacist National Policy Institute, at a recent rally in Washington, D.C., Spencer chanted “Hail Trump” while his supporters held up their arms in a salute reminiscent of Hitler’s Nazis. It is disturbing that the president-elect has appointed another “alt-right” sym- pathizer, far-right Breitbart News edi- tor Stephen Bannon, as a top White House adviser. The opinions of Spencer and Bannon do not represent the values that America stands for. If most Trump supporters voted for him because of eco- nomic concerns and not for the outland- ish statements he made during the cam- paign, they, along with all Americans, should speak out forcefully against rac- ist and xenophobic sentiments.
Gene Sentz Choteau
Blackfoot Clearwater Partnership Exempli es Ideals of Community
When a group of loggers, hikers, snowmobilers, ranchers and local busi- nessmen came together 10 years ago they all had di erent goals with the same aim. They had lived in the area around Seeley and Ovando and loved the natural wilderness. However, these are not groups that usually get along and agree on wilderness legislation. They did, however, all see the importance of the land.
Eleven years ago these concerned people met together. They are all dif- ferent members of a similar commu- nity. They have di erent interests or goals for public lands. The unique part of this amalgamation of people is that
they were able to come together and see across the table. To speak civilly with one another and come to a compromise about what to do with this pristine landscape that worked for all of them. After many meetings and continued communication, the Blackfoot Clear- water Stewardship Project (BCSP) was formed.
The BCSP has already had many important impacts on the area. It has not only been able to protect a large swath of land for shing, hiking and other recreation, but it has brought in a signi cant amount of income. Its cre- ated almost 150 jobs, trail work and nox- ious weed spraying included, funded from $19 million of federal funding and overall of $33 million.
As you can see, this is not only an important area for the local commu- nity, but for all of those who use this area to recreate. The BCSP exempli es the ideals of community, communica- tion, compromise and a need to balance thewaythatweuseourpubliclandsin a sustainable manner. Our congressio- nal delegation needs to acknowledge that Montanans support the BCSP and they need to act on that support by tak- ing the proposal to D.C. and stewarding it through Congress to the president’s desk. It is important to Montanans.
Theo Bullock Missoula
Denying Expansion of Egan Slough
I nd it very interesting (or maybe a better term is devious) that the Flathead County commissioners have denied the expansion of the Egan Slough after the recent election. Holmquist delayed the decision after the rst public meet- ing with the obvious intention that she and the other members did not want to damage Holmquist’s chances of being reelected. In the present political world there are many accusations of lack of transparency certainly this action ts that de nition.
Roger Sherman White sh
CORRRECTION
Last week’s article, “White sh Seeking Input on Commercial Development in South Corridor,” incorrectly attributed statements made in the White sh Growth Policy to Planning Director Dave Taylor. Taylor, in his memo, was simply referencing the Growth Policy rather than raising his own concerns about the plan and any standards it would need to meet.
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DECEMBER 7, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
LETTERS
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