'Negative passion' unwelcome in milfoil discussion

The Bonner County Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force receives ideas, input, information, comments, concerns and suggestions from the public through our regular task force meetings, our listserve, and our public workshops as well as via emails and written letters.

Our county commissioners as well as other elected and appointed officials will forward information from the public to us. And, as individuals we also hear from the public and discuss what we have heard at our meetings. We encourage all these forms of dialogue.

Community input is vital to what we hope to accomplish.

Our current focus on the Eurasian water milfoil problem and possible alternatives has passions in our community running very high. With passion can come very positive energy and lively debate. Such passion and debate will help us figure out the best options for dealing with milfoil and other threats to our waterways.

Unfortunately, passion can run amok. Then such passion can lead to innuendo, distortion or manipulation of the facts and outright lies just to bolster a position. It never does. Any positive message is then lost. Even worse, passion can so overwhelm people sometimes that they use inflammatory, hateful and accusatory language, wishing upon decision maker's personal threats, attacks, damage or worse. Such negative passion and language has no place in public policy debate.

In our deliberations about milfoil we simply won't consider such comments.

We encourage the public to join us in finding a community based solution to the problems presented by milfoil. We encourage you to bring your care, concerns and passion. We insist that any demeaning, debasing or threatening dialogue be checked at the door.

This is an open letter penned by the Bonner County Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force. Its members include Brad Bluemer, Gary Bond, Jim Brady, Craig Brengle, Rose Chaney, Ralph Day, Susan Drumheller, Steve Holt, Phil Hough, Leslie Marshall, John Monks, Gary Parker, Mary Terra-Berns, Diane Williams and Kate Wilson.