I am dismayed at what I read in the newspapers about many pseudo-environmental organizations abandoning their roots and joining forces with politicians, logging interests, and snowmobilers in efforts to defeat the great work being done by traditional, legitimate environmental organizations and individuals.

Famous real environmental organizations like Michael Garrity’s Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Arlene Montgomery’s Friends of the Wild Swan, and Keith Hammer’s Swan View Coalition — along with long-time park ranger with a master’s degree and highly respected independent wildlife biology consultant Brian Peck — are diligent hard workers at defending wildlife and their habitat… especially the grizzly bear and wolf.

However, other groups like Montana Wilderness Association, employing Amy Robinson locally; Headwaters Montana, created and administered by former MWA employee, Dave Hadden; and the National Parks Conservation Association, employing local Michael Jamison, are lined up in opposition to defeat the real group’s efforts.  They apparently believe that rubbing shoulders and capitulating with famous people will provide them with fame and money and, perhaps, a political career.

It is a successful divide and conquer strategy perpetuated by non-environmentalist politicians like U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and U.S. House member Ryan Zinke, who crave and focus on re-election votes, and Chuck Roady, general manager of Stoltze Lumber, who craves profits from wildlife habitat forest lumber.

The “end game” is to collaborate and join forces with Jim Williams, manager of local Region 1 for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Joe Krueger, manager of Flathead National Forest efforts to develop a new forest management plan revision, and Chris Servheen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, grizzly bear recovery manager who will realize fame and glory and his desired legacy by delisting grizzly bears from the Endangered Species List in order to subject them to being hunted as big game trophies.

What I would like to see is for the ordinary citizenry that does care about wildlife and wilderness to rise up and stop this horrific strategy dead in its tracks. Real environmentalists cannot do it alone, since they have become a house divided from the pseudo-environmentalists who are now in bed with politicians and businessmen. Will you all help?

The 10 million annual tourists that come to Montana to view wildlife, especially grizzly bears and wolves, generate far more local jobs for Montanans than even the agriculture industry. —Bill Baum, Badrock Canyon