Now I think it is a number one priority to kill this awful bill. We don’t need more cattle stomped “wilderness areas” because they aren’t really wilderness.
Tester Makes Some Changes to Wilderness Bill, Refuses Others. “In response to feedback, Sen. Tester aims to make changes that improve his bill, and its chance of passage.” New West. By Amy Linn, 2-05-10
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Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
Very interesting news, Ralph. Tester caves to industry again. Strange. I thought the dems had a majority? They sure don’t act like it.
Mike – why is Senator Tester’s behavior strange? What are the dems suppose to act like?
The entire bill is strange. Locking in grazing rights? Congressionally mandated logging?
Talks with Bears,
I agree Tester’s behavior seems typical of Montana Democrats, but the new bad ideas seem to have been mostly articulated by Republican Representative Rehberg who went around holding “public listening sessions,” and then made suggestions needed to win his support for the bill.
Bill Worf points out another problem with Tester’s bill
“If Tester gets away with dictating forest management in Montana, every senator and every representative in Congress will try to do the same. Instead of being managed by one professional agency that considers all the views of public stakeholders from throughout the country, our national forests would be managed by local interests primarily geared towards resource extraction.”
jburnham – I like your line and that of Bill Worf with a little different take – I do not want Tester, Baucus the duly elected President or really any of the other ones DOING anything to US or OUR “public trust lands”. Until we can have people that are trustworthy working for all of our best interests in mind, I do not want them doing anything to me or you. And Worf said “no response to his detailed analysis submitted in Nov. 2009” – I hope he is not holding his breath on that – when you call Tester’s office and ask a simple question regarding say federal government out of control spending or the failed stimulus plan – all they can respond with is a spam email back or an uninformed and pathetic talking point – it is a sad place we are my friends.
Attempting to stay out of the R/D debate…
There is a movement in natural resources management toward “local” control of resources. Everyone interested in the public trust doctrine and/or the conservation of THE NATION’S resources should be aware of this movement.
Yes. National forests and national parks were created largely to remove control from easily corrupted local officials. It’s far easier for industry to get their hooks into locals than it is the feds.
Worf’s article makes a lot of sense.
Talks With Bears –
Not sure what the spending and stimulus bill has to do with it?
Did you oppose all the spending during the Bush years which led to this? Did you turn in your tax rebate check when you got it?
Chicago Mike – you were the one that began a conversation about “strange” – anything more strange than the stimulus fraud we have to live with in this country? Go back to your tax shelter website and sort thru the 4 posts a day – be nice, you need those 4 posts to keep us taxpayers on the hook for your trips out west to take pictures – all of those business expenses for a big business man like yourself.
Really weird response, Talks With Bears.
Mike, I agree. I don’t like this guy at all.
If one wants to read a very interesting take on the history of the national forests, pick up Tim Egan’s new book, The Big Burn. You will learn some very fascinating facts about the relationship between Roosevelt, Muir and Pinchot and how they managed to create a large part of the national forest system we have today despite fierce opposition from some Western politicians…Montana and Idaho, interestingly…;*)….and the railroads and usual corporate cast of characters. The only depressing part of it was how little things have changed in the Western political dynamic since 1903.
As far as Western Dems are concerned, I would like to see them keep their spines intact when they move to DC, and live the principles they campaigned on to keep their base, even if it…GASP..costs them their next election. What is the sense in having a Dem in office if they act like Republicans?
Jim T ;
I agree with you, our government officials got elected to represent us for the environment and the people, we just did not know they were refering to corporate people.In the east it’s wall street in the west it’s big farmers,railroad etc , tell me what’s the difference? These parks were made for our enjoyment John Q public. Keep those cows on their own land and let our wildlife live and die naturallly please. Twenty two breeding pairs,four breeding, do they really know, down to a science how to run an eco system. I thought that was left up to nature, wow I guess I am wrong again.