In his Scotchman wilderness advisory vote story, Keith Kinnaird stated that FSPW has “carefully sown support for the designation.” Wow, the fact that FSPW essentially ignored Clark Fork for 10 years and there is now considerable opposition, makes that kind of sowing like seeding your neighbor’s field, forgetting to seed your own and then wondering why your cow died. But, the U.S. Forest Service and former county commissioners are equally irresponsible, as neither bothered to ask Clark Fork before recommending a permanent lock-up of 14,000 acres, 3.5 miles from town.

Keith describes timber, mining and conservationists support, but, of course, gave no examples. For timber, we have only Idaho Forest Group and their backroom deal with environmentalists to support Scotchman in exchange for no opposition to timber sales in west Bonner County (Scotchman being in east Bonner County, thanks IFG). For mining, there are none. For “conservationists,” FSPW must point to ICL and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, even though both are clearly preservation groups with left-wing or radical environmental ties. None of the real conservation groups, such as RMEF and more local groups, who make a conservation difference on public lands, support new wilderness, anywhere, due to the effective inability to manage wildlife or habitat in wilderness, thanks to lawsuits and radical judges.

Instead of describing how FSPW “played up” the diversity of their support, “made up” is more accurate, but, in any case, without strong local support, this effort needs to be stopped cold in May, with your vote against this proposal.

STAN MYERS

Hope