Check for sustainable harvest label
Enough politics. Let’s talk about fish.
For most Montanans, the health of our streams and fisheries is a special concern. Global warming, habitat loss, introduced diseases, exotic species - all of these impact our fish populations. Unfortunately, these concerns pale against problems of fisheries worldwide, and yet, few of us think about that when we order or buy seafood.
Fortunately, there is something easy each of us can do to give wild fisheries a hand. Since 1997, the Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org) has certified fisheries that take only sustainable harvests. The next time you go out to eat, ask the restaurant manager if any of the seafood on the menu is MSC-certified. If not, politely inform her or him that you’ll wait until they provide such an option before ordering seafood. Do the same at the grocery store. These options are available with just a little effort. Recently, I was delighted to find MSC-certified halibut at Costco! Holding out for sustainable seafood not only protects our oceans - it helps ensure a more diverse menu for the future.
Sneed Collard, Missoula
Create tax to penalize development
Max Baucus’ efforts to use federal tax dollars to buy Plum Creek Timber Co. land and keep it in the public domain should be paralleled by state legislative efforts to make developers pay their fair share of the development costs.
Other farm states penalize agricultural users (timber harvest is a form of agriculture) by “recapturing” up to 10 years of back taxes - based on the new use - when they opt to develop the property for something other than farm use. Those recaptured taxes are used to pay infrastructure costs - roads, schools and fire departments. Every acre of Plum Creek land and any other farm land owners want to take out of production should be subject to such a tax in Montana.
And while it is at it, the Legislature should revisit a property tax revision that bases our residential property taxes on the value we paid when we bought it way-back-when. Under the present system, every time a developer sells a trophy home in my tax district my taxes go up and disappear into the black hole of county government. Such an “acquisition value” approach to property taxation might keep a few of us retired locals in our homes a little longer.
Don Larson, Seeley Lake
Town is not a safe place to live
I would like to respond to the story done on the eagles in Libby by Missoulian reporter Michael Jamison (July 7).
Please understand that there are two sides to all stories.
I would be happy to see an oxygen tank and mask strapped to all the eagles in Libby as a true sign of extinction to remind everyone, everyday, that the word “extinction” is true to those who live and breathe the deadly air in Libby.
Now, you can choose to live in la la land where the eagles sore and the deadly lies are knee deep and the air is still full of deadly Tremolite asbestos, but it is wrong to advertise to the people that Libby is such a nice place to live. Libby is not safe. People are being lied to. Why aren’t you all saving people from this deadly exposure since you all are also aware of this truth, this deadly truth? Why aren’t any of you stopping this known continued deadly exposure?
For 10 years now, all of you have known what I have been telling all who will listen - to stay away from Libby as it is not a safe place to live and raise a family. And Libby, for 10 years, has been sold as safe. A deadly lie, and here you are selling Libby and their eagles as a sign of ending extinction. You got it all wrong.
Those eagle are signs of extinction and that’s the way Libby needs to be and should have been 10 years ago - extinct. Instead, the eagles in Libby are signs of lies, exposure, sickness and death - not the truth.
Mike Crill, Missoula
Time to change rules, procedures
Yes, trapping has been around a long time; however, a lot of things have changed for the good and the humans, and it is time trappers give these poor critters a break.
Trap them humanely. After all, we don’t use stocks anymore? It is time to change the procedure and rules. More people mean more animals closer to traps that have not been checked or humanely set. Doesn’t that look of the animal cause you pain? It should!
Just who does Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey work for? Who writes his checks? To me, it sounds like it is Plum Creek Timber Co. and all these closed-door meetings and him stating he will disclose it when the time is right.
The mess of going through all of the paperwork to find the stated information because he won’t state it - I say throw the bum out! He certainly is not working on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service or its people. This is nothing more than a ploy on their part to get those roads changed so they can sell the real estate.
Remember how they got here in the first place. They were drawing outside the lines then - we can expect nothing less from them now!
Linda Stockstill, Missoula
Shame on senator for FISA vote
Sen. Max Baucus,
You need to apologize grandly and explain why you turned traitor to us, your constituency, by voting for that insane, illegal, imbecilic Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I hope you instantly make a loud statement to Montanans explaining why you thought you should vote for that garbage?
Votes like that cry out loudly, “I’m a Bush man through and through!”
Norman Wade, Missoula
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