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Archives: Op-Eds/Letters to the Editor |
Feb 14, 2008 - Threatening eastern Idaho's forests (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - Former Gov. Jim Risch's proposed management of Idaho's roadless forests puts eastern Idaho on the chopping block to benefit the phosphate mining and timber industries, writes John Hart. Having grown ... Jan 18, 2008 - Our View: It's high time to let states manage wolves (Idaho Statesman) - Wolves should be removed from the endangered species list - as has been the plan for more than a decade - because the federal protections have done their job. Management should be handed over to th ... Jan 18, 2008 - Ten years later, time is up for the Corps (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - Of all the rivers in the lower 48 states, the Yellowstone from its source in the national park to where it joins the Missouri some 600 miles' later -stands out as the longest river that remains undamm ... Nov 30, 2007 - Gambling with the Elk Refuge (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - The federal government's final decision for managing winter feeding of elk and bison at Jackson Hole's National Elk Refuge needs to be reappraised. At issue here is the artificial feeding of elk a ... Nov 06, 2007 - Wyo: Declare victory and adopt wolf plan (Associated Press) - Wyoming has crafted a wolf-management plan that represents a substantial victory for the state's interests. The Game and Fish Commission should approve the hard-fought compromise when it meets in Ther ... Nov 02, 2007 - Letter: Lake trout eradication should be expanded (Billings Gazette) - As one of the groups that played a key role in securing federal funding for Yellowstone National Park's lake trout control program in Yellowstone Lake, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition appreciates Th ... Nov 01, 2007 - Yellowstone sleds: Snowmobiles should be phased out (Salt Lake Tribune) - The sounds of Yellowstone in winter should be the whoosh of a geyser or the gurgle of water running beneath a blanket of snow, not the whine of a snowmobile. Mechanized noise stresses not only human v ... Oct 28, 2007 - Behaving ethically is key to preserving our hunting heritage (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - For those of us who spend eleven months a year anxiously awaiting the opening of big game rifle season, the long wait is finally over. Montana’s unofficial state holiday kicked off last weekend with ... Sep 01, 2007 - Mining industry needs to clean up its mess in Idaho (Idaho Statesman) - Mining phosphate in Idaho is polluting many streams and groundwater with toxic levels of selenium. Selenium is rich in the rocks surrounding many phosphate deposits in the state. Digging up the pho ... Aug 30, 2007 - Gas companies spin away blame for habitat damage (Cody Enterprise) - You can add my name to the roster of those who oppose drilling in the McCullough Peaks area. You can note my opposition to any of the recent BLM land sales to big oil interests in that area. I feel ... Aug 19, 2007 - Wyo needs wild and scenic river designation (Casper Star Tribune) - Wild and Scenic designation of the Snake River is good for Wyoming – and we can give you a few million reasons why. The dollars that will benefit Wyoming sales tax revenues are significant. The wild ... Aug 07, 2007 - Legacy Act won’t hurt Idaho farmers (Casper Star Tribune) - Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, should support the proposed Snake Headwaters Legacy Act for several reasons. It’s a solid bill that would honor a colleague from a neighboring state. But so far Craig ... Jul 12, 2007 - Let's keep momentum on two Thomas projects (Casper Star Tribune) - New U.S. Sen. John Barrasso has made it clear that he won't blindly follow his predecessor in pursuing protection for the Wyoming Range and for parts of the Snake River and its tributaries. He wants t ... Jul 07, 2007 - It’s easy to forget the connection between water, wildlife (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - ‘Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” So ends Norman Maclean’s famous ode to Montana and its rivers. As we brace for another hot, dry summer, it is worth thinking ab ... Jun 19, 2007 - Public needs a chance to discuss elk feedgrounds (Casper Star Tribune) - When it decided not to close three elk feedgrounds in the Gros Ventre area, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department apparently had all the public comments it wanted. But not all of the comments the pu ... May 24, 2007 - Don't let technicalities stop Wyoming wolf plan (Casper Star Tribune) - Don't believe everything you hear from authority figures. Remember Iraq's weapons of mass destruction? Remember what your mom said about the Tooth Fairy? A more recent whopper is the one about wolv ... May 16, 2007 - Elk census speaks truth (Jackson Hole News & Guide) - After half a year of what has sounded like a concerted campaign by the state government to convince the public that wolves are decimating Wyoming's wildlife, the annual elk census and hunting seasons ... May 07, 2007 - Gov makes good case to protect Wyoming Range (Casper Star Tribune) - Gov. Dave Freudenthal can hardly be mistaken for an enemy of energy development. His strong support for coal-bed methane production in the Powder River Basin shows the value he places on the minerals ... Apr 09, 2007 - Dam Project (Idaho State Journal) - I was surprised to read that an irrigation company has proposed the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Bear River’s Oneida Narrows. Two years ago our family held a weekend family reunion a ... Apr 08, 2007 - A poor choice (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - It was a disappointment, but hardly surprising that the state Senate recently rejected legislation requiring new homes be built a certain distance from Montana rivers. Politicians in this st ... Apr 07, 2007 - Poison in Our Backyard (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - Eastern Idaho's outdoor backyard is a beautiful, wild place that is cherished by those of us who live here and by many annual visitors. This recreational playground includes clear streams, backcountry ... Apr 02, 2007 - Professor Emeritus: Have We ‘Nuked’ Pinedale’s Big Game Herds? (New West.net) - The federal Bureau of Land Management continues to take a pounding over its greenlighting of additional natural gas drilling in a corner of western Wyoming known for its wildlife, an area that has bee ... Mar 24, 2007 - It’s time to recommit to taking care of Yellowstone Park (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - What would it be like to live in Southwest Montana if there was no Yellowstone National Park nearby? What if the 2.2 million acres of high mountains, sagebrush slopes, and unique geologic wonders s ... Mar 22, 2007 - Gazette Opinion: Park bison dispute migrates to Congress (Associated Press) - Migration of Yellowstone bison and federal rules on bovine health were the focus of a U.S. House subcommittee hearing Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The hearing plowed the same ground the bison debate ha ... Mar 12, 2007 - The Selenium Threat (Fly Fisherman Magazine) - For the past 30 years the clear, cold streams of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have been in my backyard and are my favorite places to unwind after a long week at work. I am fortunate that my passion for ... Mar 11, 2007 - 3rd winter-use plan looming on Yellowstone horizon (Billings Gazette) - After 10 years of drafting environmental impact statements, hundreds of thousands of public comments on Yellowstone winter use, thousands of pages of publicly funded research and at least four lawsuit ... Feb 22, 2007 - Unwild America: If the Roadless Rule Doesn’t Stand, We’ll Soon be out of Wilderness (Field and Stream) - You doubt, even a little, that every American wilderness is under a grave threat, you need to spend one minute with Scott Stouder. Stouder grew up in Idaho looking at forests the way farm boys view ... Feb 16, 2007 - Sportsmen one, girlie gunners one (Idaho Mountain Express) - It's time to purloin California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pet idiom for sissies and apply it to the so-called "hunters" who prefer their kills to be easy and effortless. Call them "girl ... Feb 12, 2007 - The tyranny of the motor minority (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - The Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan, issued in early December, has a few engines revving in noisy dissent. Emphasis on “few.” Despite over four years of study and comment, thousands of hours o ... Feb 12, 2007 - Old Faithful visitors deserve their quiet (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) - It was interesting to read our colleague Dennis Anderson's report last weekend of a snowmobile trek in Yellowstone National Park: a small, responsibly guided group, traveling close together and at s ... Feb 10, 2007 - Let's manage wolves like we do lions, elk (Casper Star Tribune) - If there's anything that can grab the attention of an elk hunter faster than the bugle of a big bull, it's the howl of a wolf. Want to stir up a roomful of elk hunters? Don't bother yelling "fire!" Ju ... Feb 07, 2007 - A 1907 plan for elk still sounds good (Jackson Hole News & Guide) - In his 1907 Annual Report as state game warden, D.C. Nowlin wrote to then-Governor of Wyoming, Bryant Brooks: “It is imperative that we provide a permanent winter range for the elk . . . We are in ... Jan 16, 2007 - Our View: Balance is the key to managing wolves (Idaho Statesman) - Managing wolves — and incorporating hunters into the equation — is a delicate science. By playing to the crowds, and playing on their fears and suspicions, Gov. Butch Otter undermines the overdue p ... Dec 23, 2006 - Year’s end time to celebrate what we’ve accomplished (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - As December draws to a close and I reflect back on the people and events of the past year, I’m struck by the wonderful things that can happen when Montanans put aside their ideological differences and ... Dec 15, 2006 - Professional mediation would help trail talks (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - Whether one agrees with every conclusion in the Gallatin National Forest’s new travel plan, it is obvious that the process is working. Every person and group who travels in the forest — hikers, hor ... Dec 12, 2006 - Gazette Opinion: A plan to share, preserve Gallatin forest (Billings Gazette) - Motorcycle trails or foot paths. Horseback riding or ATV riding. Snowmobiles or cross-country skiing. Use it, preserve it, lose it, save it. So much of the debate over America's cherished federal l ... Dec 08, 2006 - Wolf management takes addition and subtraction (Missoulian) - A new report out this week shows the number of wolves in the northern Rockies continues to grow, bolstering success for one of the standout success stories to play out under the Endangered Species Act ... Dec 06, 2006 - Ban game farms (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - I would like to respond to Allen Kelso's letter, "Who's making sense?" Most, if not all, of the articles opposing "canned hunting" were written by sportsmen who are extremely offended by game farming ... Dec 01, 2006 - Another Plan for Snowmobiles (New York Times) - Yet another winter and here we are, still wrangling over snowmobiles in Yellowstone. Last week the National Park Service released a draft environmental impact statement that would allow 720 snowmobile ... Nov 29, 2006 - Creatively fund, don't cull facilities (Missoulian) - As Montanans hunker from a blast of arctic cold sufficient to purge thoughts of picnicking and camping from any sane person's head, the U.S. Forest Service has launched a review of potential campgroun ... Nov 20, 2006 - Elk test-and-slaughter program needs review (Casper Star Tribune) - Maybe you think last winter's test-and-slaughter program at Wyoming elk feeding grounds was a smart idea. Maybe you think it was a travesty. Either way, hardly anyone would describe the operati ... Nov 19, 2006 - When it comes to managing bison, Montana needs help from hunters (Billings Gazette) - What's the difference between an elk and a bison? Any Montana school kid can tell you: The bison's got a wide humped shoulder, shaggy head and mammoth size. The elk doesn't. But here's another d ... Nov 02, 2006 - Gazette Opinion: High court upholds initiative process integrity (Billings Gazette) - When most ballots were printed for Montana's Nov. 7 elections, there were six statewide issues listed. Three have been invalidated. Last week, after months of controversy and litigation, the Montan ... Oct 29, 2006 - Montana Outdoors: Glad I-154's gone (Billings Gazette) - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners were among those who applauded the Supreme Court decision to invalidate the results of Initiative-154 on the upcoming election ballot. Touted as an in ... Oct 29, 2006 - Letter: Big corporations want to strangle government (Billings Gazette) - Ever wonder why all the out-of-state money is coming here to support CI-97, CI-98 and I-154? If you haven't figured it out yet, please let me explain it to you. Big corporations just hate it when g ... Oct 24, 2006 - Drilling the heart out of the West (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - In the past five years, the Bush administration has leased 35 million acres of federal land for oil and gas drilling — the equivalent of 15 Yellowstone National Parks. It’s wrecking the West. It ... Oct 24, 2006 - Vote as if initiative votes count (Great Falls Tribune) - Three issues will be on the ballot in two weeks despite a court ruling invalidating them. We plan to vote against them anyway, on the chance they get reinstated on appeal. A little over a month ... Oct 15, 2006 - Letter: I-154 will make homes vulnerable, not help them (Billings Gazette) - I just received literature promoting Initiative 154 as "protecting our homes." That's very ironic, as I-154 is a grave threat to our homes. I-154 would effectively strip out all of Montana's land-u ... Oct 11, 2006 - Guest Opinion: Petition process reeked of fraud (Helena Independent-Record) - There has been a lot of "politically-provocative rhetoric" about Judge Sandefur's decision to invalidate the majority of signatures gathered for CI-97, CI-98 and I-154. I would hope that people would ... Oct 09, 2006 - Guest Opinion: Anti-government ideas created bad initiatives (Billings Gazette) - It's high time for a reality check. I have spent my career in search for the truth as it is supported by evidence. The evidence I have seen on Constitutional Initiatives 97 and 98, and Initiative 154 ... Oct 06, 2006 - A Bad Start in the Parks (New York Times) - Just before it made tracks out of town, the Senate confirmed Mary Bomar’s appointment as the new head of the National Park Service. Ms. Bomar testified in person in late September before the Senate En ... Oct 02, 2006 - Initiative solves problem we didn’t know we had (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - Probably just like you, I have been puzzling over the verbal grenades being tossed by many folks about the “citizen initiatives” that may or may not be on the ballot, or may or may not be valid. I s ... Oct 01, 2006 - Letter: On ballot or not, I-154 is bad news (Associated Press) - Voter beware: Initiative I-154 is a snare and a delusion. It not only isn't what it is supposed to be, but the process of obtaining signatures to place it on this year's election ballot was flawed and ... Sep 19, 2006 - Initiative was heading Montana toward a real disaster (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - Voters should take a very critical look at I-154. You may think it is about restricting the use of eminent domain, the taking of property by the government. It is actually much more than that. Back ... Sep 17, 2006 - Initiative gatherers violated the spirit of the law (Great Falls Tribune) - Don't like Montana law? The state's initiative process makes it relatively easy for citizens to craft new laws and put them on the ballot. Unfortunately, as we're witnessing now, it's also apparen ... Sep 16, 2006 - Initiative ruling raises troubling questions (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - Ask yourself: When you go into the voting booth, do you let perfect strangers tell you how to vote? Why would perfectly sane people — those who would never buy a used car without having their m ... Sep 14, 2006 - A law Rammell could use (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - Elk Rancher Rex Rammell sounds like Idaho’s Proposition 2 already passed. Between 75 and 160 of Rammell’s penned up elk broke out of his 200-acre fenced-in hunting preserve in Fremont County last mon ... Sep 14, 2006 - Game-farm breakout highlights risks (Missoulian) - Montana clamped down on game farms, but risks persist right across the Idaho line. Sep 14, 2006 - Escape of domestic elk can’t be tolerated (Idaho State Journal) - Gov. Jim Risch had some strong words last week regarding the recent escape of domestic elk from a private hunting reserve near Yellowstone National Park. Shoot to kill (no tags needed) was Risch ... Sep 10, 2006 - Vote No on I-154 (Helena Independent-Record) - I believe that this ballot measure is probably the most important item ever to be voted on by the people of Montana. The very future of our state is at stake yet not much is being written about this ... Sep 07, 2006 - Protect your rights (Great Falls Tribune) - Recent letters cite the Connecticut case where private land was condemned and given to a developer. That is a dishonest scare tactic. Montana law wisely does not allow it. But initiative I-154 woul ... Aug 27, 2006 - At the Founding of the National Parks (New York Times) - Ninety years ago, Woodrow Wilson signed what has come to be called the National Park Service Organic Act, which established the park service within the Department of the Interior. The act is brief — a ... Aug 27, 2006 - Editorial: Ballot question a mirage Purportedly about eminent domain, it would hurt taxpayers and make land planning chaotic (Other Newspapers) - A ballot question that will be decided by voters in November goes by the aptly named acronym, PISTOL. We say aptly named, because we believe that any taxpayer who votes for the initiative will be sho ... Aug 22, 2006 - Simplot’s carrot and its stick (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - Money didn’t buy Peter and Judy Riede. The J.R. Simplot Co. offered the couple $2.1 million for access to their 467-acre ranch in Caribou County. Simplot needs a road across the Riede property to haul ... Aug 22, 2006 - Simplot’s carrot and its stick (Idaho Falls Post-Register) - Money didn’t buy Peter and Judy Riede. The J.R. Simplot Co. offered the couple $2.1 million for access to their 467-acre ranch in Caribou County. Simplot needs a road across the Riede property to haul ... Aug 21, 2006 - Your Views-Simplot mine (Idaho State Journal) - I read the article in Sunday’s Journal about Peter and Judy Riede’s fight to keep their land in Caribou County with utter disbelief. To think that a company like Simplot can come in and offer to b ... Aug 16, 2006 - I-154 is a scam aimed at Montana communities (Headwaters News) - When driving through the Bitterroot, Flathead, Gallatin and Missoula valleys do you think?: Why, how unfair. The heavy hand of government is stopping landowners cold from developing their property her ... Aug 12, 2006 - The need to kill wolves signals changing times (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - We recently shot two wolves. After the work we’ve put into living with wolves on our ranch, pulling the trigger on two wolves and losing three heifers made for a tough several days. The Wedge ... Aug 11, 2006 - Sun Ranch illustrates the reality of life with wolves (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - Northern Rockies ranchers are going to have to get used to living with wolves. They’re here to stay. Since they were introduced into Yellowstone Park in the 1990s, wolves have enjoyed the protections ... Aug 06, 2006 - I-154: It’s a stealth initiative (Helena Independent-Record) - Call it a cloaking device. Call it a Trojan horse. Heck, call it a wolf in Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s clothing. Just don’t call Initiative 154 a measure that’s mainly about eminent doma ... Jul 25, 2006 - Some public land should get special protection (Casper Star Tribune) - The Bureau of Land Management administers about 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Of that total, 17.5 million acres are already available for oil and gas development. Most reasonable peop ... Jul 24, 2006 - Conservation reigns again in our national parks (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) - When there is a conflict between conserving resources and values and providing for enjoyment of them, conservation is to be predominant.” This simple idea has guided management of Yellowstone N ... Jul 10, 2006 - Drafting the Future of the Parks (New York Times) - Last Friday marked the end of the public comment period on the most recent draft of the National Park Service's management policy — the core document that governs the day-to-day operation of the natio ... Jul 02, 2006 - Business is basis for bison solution (Missoulian) - Greater focus on the bottom line is surest route to solution of Yellowstone bison conflict. Jun 24, 2006 - Guest Opinion: There's gold for all in hills, mountains and streams (Billings Gazette) - When I was 13, I was adopted by a Madison County ranch family who showed me a life of putting up hay and tending to livestock. It was the best lifestyle you could ever want. In the summer, after mi ... Jun 19, 2006 - Keep areas wild and roadless (Other Newspapers) - Sometime before November's deadline, Gov. Jim Doyle will petition the U.S. agriculture secretary to protect or adjust management on 25 tracts of land totaling about 0.05% of Wisconsin's land area or 1 ... Jun 02, 2006 - In Wyoming, Charges and Countercharges Fly Over Elk (New West.net) - Is the United States Fish and Wildlife Service "mismanaging" the internationally-famous wapiti herd that gathers every winter at the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyo? Did the federal governmen ... May 31, 2006 - Park fees: General funds should pay most national park bills (Salt Lake Tribune) - It's always useful to look at a budget and try to find places to save money. That should go for the National Park Service as much as any other federal agency. But from what we've heard, the nation ... May 23, 2006 - It's time to break the cycle, solve bison problem (Great Falls Tribune) - It's the regular cycle of news: Rivers dry up or flood; hurricanes pummel coasts; fires scorch forests and grasslands; tornadoes pound the Midwest; politicians pontificate; and bison wander from Ye ... May 15, 2006 - Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Deal Would Create More Ice Cream Wilderness (New West.net) - The recently announced collaborative timber-wilderness deal for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (BDNF) between the timber industry and representatives of the Montana Wilderness Association (M ... |
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