Dear Editor, I grew up in Forsyth and have ranched there for 15 years. As a young boy driving through the snow, I could practically see a sage-grouse under every sage bush; there were thousands of them for every quarter mile. Today the sage-grouse is a Candidate Species for Endangered Species Act protection. The Sage-Grouse…
Guest Comment/Star Editorial
Letters to the Editor
Support for Pearson
Dear Editor, Citing “conflict of interest” concerns several groups in North Dakota are bringing suit charging that two N.D. Public Service Commissioners should recuse themselves from voting on a proposed coal mine and power project because they accepted large campaign contributions from the companies and individuals involved in the developments. Current Commissioner, Gail Gutsche (standing…
Support for Pearson
Dear Editor, What is it that attracts career politicians, exposed to heavy lobbying, to want to become Public Service Commissioners? In District 4 we have an incumbent and a candidate that both have those credentials. And now states are wisely considering not allowing Public Service Commissioners to vote on issues affecting utility companies if they…
Addition to Haslip comments
Dear Editor, The following information is presented as an addition to Jerry Haslip’s letter which appeared in the Bitteroot Star on April 11, 2012. Sources–Steven Hayes, Economist, TV news programs, and the Institute for Energy Research. 1. Exploratory oil drilling on federal lands has been REDUCED 36% since Obama became President. 2. Oil production from…
Support for Ballance
Dear Editor, Nancy Ballance is our choice for House District 89, and if you are concerned about our state’s future, she should be your choice, too. While other candidates ‘talk the talk’ about everything they’ll do for you when they get to Congress, Nancy is already ‘walking the walk’ and has been for some time,…
Happy Mother’s Day, Paige Allen Trautwein
I’m so glad you are my daughter! Jerry and I were so blessed to have you as an addition to our family. You have always been such a joy. By the age of 5, your sense of responsibility was already evident. You would set the table, stack and wash dishes, and get the family organized….
Conservationists must stay the course
It has been said that no environmental victories are permanent. In the west this is especially true. Huge areas of once wild land have been ruined and done away with by many facets including off-roaders and industries. The greatest permanent conservation victory to this day is Wilderness designation. However, there is still another 100…
See energy deregulation film before you vote
“Power Brokers,” a Montana PBS investigative film about the MT electrical deregulation epic journey and tragedies that followed, will air this month at the public libraries throughout the Bitterroot Valley. The investigative film focuses on the demise of the Montana Power Company, the state’s only Fortune 500 Company, elevating power prices to the celestial heavens…
Support for incumbents
The primaries are coming up rapidly – June 5th will be here before we know it and it’s time to support a couple of candidates that will provide the most continuity and consistency in both of their elections. As a Montana sportsman I expect my elected officials to uphold my rights to hunt and fish,…
Re: Agenda 21
I am responding to the person who said that Agenda 21 “is good politics.” Interesting! I am all for sustainability and clean water and recycling! I believe it is the right thing to do for our planet, our self, and our community. As individuals do the right thing, everything gets better. I voluntarily make…
Common sense shows science is wrong
Dear Editor, The April 22 edition of the Ravalli Republic had an editorial praising the FWP for increasing the numbers of Mountain Lions that can be killed. They wrote that “It is good to see the FWP following the science instead of reacting to anecdotal assertions that wolves are the sole cause of declining elk…
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