Page 23 - Flathead Beacon // 12.31.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
YEAR IN NEWS
DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 23
ty. The demonstration was organized by Love Lives Here, a Flathead Valley affiliate of the Montana Hu- man Rights Network, and comes on the heels of re- newed publicity for Spencer and NPI. The Whitefish City Council unanimously passed a good-faith reso- lution supporting diversity and tolerance in the com- munity, taking a stance on an issue that has roiled local residents in recent weeks but stopping short of enacting anti-discrimination legislation aimed at so-called “hate organizations.”
Teck Coal: With renewed plans to expand coal-min- ing operations in southeastern British Columbia’s Elk River drainage, located upstream from one of Montana’s world-class transboundary watersheds, researchers and government agencies are intensify- ing scrutiny on environmental hazards spanning the border. The concerns center on increasing amounts of coal waste byproducts leaching into the heav- ily mined Elk River and its many tributaries, which drain into two bodies of water shared by B.C. and Montana – Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River – both of which are showing increased levels of min- ing contaminants like selenium in the muscle tissue of fish species. In response, the British Columbia government has approved a plan to address decades of coal-mining pollution in B.C.’s Elk River drainage. The Elk Valley Water Quality Plan was crafted by Teck Resources Ltd. to control selenium and nitrate dumped into the Elk River and nearby tributaries as the mining giant expanded through the years. Local researchers and agency officials expressed disap- pointment with the plan because it does not pay seri- ous consideration to the degradation of downstream waters in Montana.
CFAC: The long road toward determining what level of cleanup is warranted at the shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant took another turn in De- cember when the company walked away from nego- tiations with the Montana Department of Environ- mental Quality, aligning the contaminated site for remedial action under the federal Superfund pro- gram. But the timeframe for listing and subsequent cleanup efforts remains unknown, and could follow years of additional studies to “fill in data gaps,” ac- cording to the U.S. Environmental Protection agen- cy, a delay that rankles members of the community who are concerned for their safety. Recent reports from the state Department of Environmental Qual- ity and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have shown the site is eligible for Superfund status, but the site’s owner, Glencore, a Swiss commodities firm, has never explained what it intends to do with the property. While CFAC officials said they favor a speedy and thorough investigation of the plant site, they oppose listing it as a Superfund site.
Agency on Aging: After years of trying to find a so- lution for the Flathead County Agency on Aging’s fa- cility problem, the county commissioners agreed in 2014 to move the agency from its current, overbur- dened facility and into a new building. The South Campus project, originally expected to cost $6 mil- lion, will house Agency on Aging, a new dental office for the city-county health department, and space for the maintenance department. As of Dec. 29, the com- mission hadn’t awarded the bid for the project.
Water Compact: The Flathead County Commission went through several permutations when it came to supporting the proposed water compact between the state and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, finally landing on sending a letter supporting
$1 MILLION
Donations raised from nearly 540 individuals, families and organiza- tions for the Flathead Lake Biological Station. The donations exceeded the biological station’s three-year goal of matching a lake monitoring chal- lenge grant by the end of 2014. The funds will help one of the oldest field stations in the country to continue monitoring Flathead Lake.
$2 MILLION
Fundraising goal fulfilled by the Whitefish Legacy Partners to se- cure a permanent conservation and recreation easement on 1,520 acres in the Beaver Lakes area, as part of the Whitefish Trail.
$2.25 MILLION
Fundraising goal fulfilled by the Foys to Blacktail Trails organiza- tion, which also secures the remaining 60-acre addition.
865
Roadkill salvage permits issued in Montana after one year. Flat- head County had the most permits issued of any county at 135.
47
Same-sex marriage licenses issued across Montana on Nov. 20, the first full day that gay couples could apply to marry. Flathead County had four licenses issued in the days following the ruling.
36
The weight of a lake trout, in pounds, caught in Flathead Lake on July 8 during a chartered trip with A Able Fishing Charters and Tours. The massive fish, stretching 45 inches long, was 1 inch shy of the state record, which was also caught in Flathead Lake.
51%
Voter turnout in Flathead County during November’s midterm election.
15,463
Overall enrollment of students in kindergarten through high school in Flathead County in the fall of 2014, the highest in at least 10 years. There were 323 more students in the county than 10 years ago, and 818 more than four years ago.
an eventual compact, but outlining several concerns from the county’s perspective, including protecting local and municipal water rights. The 2015 Legisla- ture is expected to take up the controversial issue.
Doughnut: With Flathead County taking jurisdic- tion of the planning area surrounding the City of Whitefish commonly referred to as the doughnut, it would seem that this particular saga was at an end. However, the work is just beginning for the county, which is in the process of amending various text reg- ulations to fit in the new area, such as the lakeshore and lake protection regulations and interim zoning.
Green Boxes: Flathead County decided to consoli- date its recycling program in 2014, which includes removing the current blue recycling boxes from the Bigfork green box site. However, the county will move forward with a new green box site for Bigfork, which will include better recycling facilities.
Gay Marriage: In mid November, same-sex couples were allowed to marry in Montana after U.S. Dis- trict Judge Brian Morris ruled the state’s constitu- tional amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Pro- tection Clause. The first formal ceremony inside the Flathead County Justice Center was held the morn- ing of Nov. 20 for two local men, who asked to re- main anonymous in the press. The two men became the first gay couple on record as officially married in Flathead County. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox said he would appeal the judge’s ruling, and in all likelihood the issue will return to the U.S. Supreme Court in spring 2015 for a final decision that would impact the entire nation.
Glacier Park’s Record Summer: In its storied his- tory, Glacier National Park was never more popular than this year. Between June and August, 1.7 million people visited the Crown Jewel of the Continent, whether it was locals enjoying their pristine back- yard, out-of-state visitors vacationing to a world- renowned destination or international tourists en- joying one of the most popular national parks in the U.S. 2014 will go down in history as Glacier’s highest visitation year on record, breaking the old mark of 2,203,847 people, set in 1983 and nearly broached in 2010.
New Whitefish High School: After several years of planning and over a year of construction, a new era is underway at Whitefish High School. The commu- nity’s lone public high school has undergone a size- able renovation that transformed the classic site into a state-of-the-art campus, featuring a newly refur- bished gymnasium, a brand-new fitness center, new classrooms equipped with cutting-edge technol- ogy and a new Center for Applied Media Arts and Sciences wing, or CAMAS, which stands to become a college-level hub for theater, music and technol- ogy studies. While the campus itself is now signifi- cantly modernized, the school has also rearranged its curriculum to better prepare students for col- lege and beyond.
Cahill Clinic Break In: On March 4, All Families Healthcare in Kalispell, Northwest Montana’s only abortion provider and a clinic offering family care services, was broken into and significantly vandal- ized. The owner, Susan Cahill, has closed the clinic while a suspect, Zachary Klundt of Columbia Falls, stands charged with four felonies, including burglary, criminal mischief, theft and attempted burglary.