No headline

Elaine French, formerly of the Idaho Conservation League, recently extolled “collaboration” in the campaign for the Scotchman Wilderness, yet that couldn’t be farther from the truth and it’s amazing that the supporters still repeat that false claim. Being that the proposed boundaries are 3.5 miles from the city of Clark Fork, perhaps Elaine can explain how it is, that the supporters (and the U.S. Forest Service) chose to never directly speak (and listen) to the most important stakeholders, the local residents, regarding this proposal? The “collaboration” really means with mostly outside environmental interests, the former county commissioners played along with it and the supporters should flat-out be ashamed by this.

If you support this proposed wilderness, do you know that a compromise area that includes the most scenic and unique portion of the area has been proposed by concerned local residents? FSPW seems to have no interest in a compromise that might be supported by a real majority of residents of Bonner County. If you are supporter, you should ask FSPW why they have no interest in working together with local residents? Residents of this county who are fed-up with this elitist and less-than-good neighbor strategy should contact Sen. James Risch and the Bonner County commissioners and tell them you do not support this and prefer a working-together approach that a real majority (not 7,000 newsletter recipients and outside preservation groups) might support.

STAN MYERS

Hope