New West Network

My Page: Amy Linn

Flu News and Blues

As flu pandemics go, H1N1 sometimes seems hard to compute, given all the information flooding our way. Is it a panic? An impending storm? A party theme?

Yes, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that some people are hosting “swine flu parties” where people who know someone with H1N1 purposely hang out and try to get infected. Their goal is to get a mild case and gain natural immunity, so they won’t catch a more dangerous version later on. Health officials, not surprisingly, say this doesn’t work and isn’t smart. “While the disease ... has been mild for many people, it has been severe and even fatal for others,” the federal health agency says. “There is no way to predict with certainty what the outcome will be for an individual or, equally important, for others to whom the intentionally infected person may spread the virus.”

Meanwhile, as news about the flu continues to spread at viral speed, a Montana health official offers a few facts to help put things in perspective. Elton Mosher is the influenza surveillance coordinator and an infectious disease expert with the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Here’s his view of the flu, plus statistics from the World Health Organization and CDC:

Kids Count 2009

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation supports an amazingly comprehensive and important look at the well-being of the nation’s children, taking into account, state-by-state, the factors that help or hinder children’s welfare. The foundation’s “Kids Counts” reports look at leading indicators like poverty rates, the availability of daycare, school performance, the number of children without health insurance, median household incomes, obesity rates, and neighborhood safety, and then rank the states to show which are doing the best (and worst) jobs.

So how does Montana add up? As in most years, there’s reason to celebrate—and to worry.

Montana Wolf Hunt

A half-hour after sunset tonight, Montana’s first official wolf hunt—arguably the most controversial hunting season in recent history—will be over. Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks department announced the shut-down after reports came in that 72 wolves had been killed as of Sunday evening, meaning that hunters were fast closing in on the state quota of 75 wolves, according to the Billings Gazette.

Montana Property Taxes

In late summer and early fall, many Montanans were unpleasantly surprised to receive notices telling them their property values had skyrocketed. The reappraisals, due every six years from the state Department of Revenue, meant their property taxes would take a big leap forward, too. In areas like Gallatin and Flathead counties, where the 2002-2008 period saw a dramatic real estate boom—followed by a bust—some property values increased 300 percent or more.

But there was hope for people feeling the pain. First, property owners could seek relief by appealing their appraisals, either by asking for informal reviews from the Department of Revenue (DOR) or by appealing directly to their County Tax Appeal Board. Second, local governments could decrease their mill levies, the formulas that actually determine how much property tax residents pay.

Here’s a look at what’s happened on those and other fronts, according to the DOR.

Less Development, More Conservation

The abrupt drop-off in land development throughout the Flathead Valley over the last year has caused its fair share of negative consequences, but it has resulted in some benefits as well – particularly for those focused on conservation. With little or no pressure from developers to buy up the agricultural lands along the Flathead River corridor, the Flathead Land Trust has found its mission to preserve those private parcels, mainly through voluntary conservation easements, made much easier of late.

“Because land values are low, developers aren’t really interested right now,” Brad Seaman, outreach and development director for the Flathead Land Trust, said. “We’re the only ones out there talking money.”

The Land Trust has secured 38 conservation easements since 1985, but over the last year, interest by landowners in this option has grown rapidly. So far this year, the Land Trust has secured easements on four parcels along the Flathead River as part of its River to Lake Initiative, protecting some 840 acres through federal and state partnerships, totaling about $2 million. According to Seaman and Executive Director Marilyn Wood, these transactions will expand recreational access, preserve open space and maintain wildlife habitat and water quality. Agricultural land secured as easements will also help keep some level of food production local.

Plant One on Us

Camelina isn’t a household word. Neither is biofuel. But the two words combined add up to an eco-friendly, Montana-grown commodity that can help feed livestock and ease the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Camelina sativa, a sleeper oilseed crop, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the heart-healthy nutrients that many humans these days ingest via fish oil supplements. Camelina also produces relatively low-cost biofuel while requiring less use of fossil-fuel-laden fertilizers and toxic herbicides, supporters say.

With that as a backdrop, here’s the news: the Food and Drug Administration has decided to approve camelina concentrations of up to 10 percent in cattle feed. And Montana growers are celebrating.

After Grace: Libby, Montana Fights On

New studies and health initiatives are unfolding in Libby this fall, all of them tied to the former vermiculite mine operated by W.R. Grace & Co., which left the town contaminated with a uniquely dangerous form of asbestos.

Back in June, federal officials announced a public health emergency Libby, Montana, helping pave the way for the town to get a $6 million health care grant to deal with the extraordinary number of people in the area who suffer from asbestos-related diseases. Today is the grant’s kickoff date, which means the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will now start spending the money to identify and treat people who have asbestosis (a scarring of the lungs), mesothelioma (a rare and agressive cancer), or other medical problems due to asbestos exposures.

Commentary

A massive job awaits Jonathan Jarvis, the man who became chief of national parks this month, according to a fine feature story by Todd Wilkinson (which was published today in the Flathead Beacon).

The new park service director, a 32-year veteran of the National Park Service, kicked off his new job by visiting the home of conservationist John Muir and taking his family to Yosemite National Park, Wilkinson writes. If Jarvis got some extra energy from the trips, that’s good, the story notes. Because he’ll need it.

Press Release: Green Power in Montana

Comprehensive clean energy and climate change legislation now before Congress could create 13,000 jobs in Montana by 2020 and would increase average household incomes in the state, according to research announced today by environmental groups.

The groups releasing the information include Climate Solutions and Montana Business Leaders for Clean Energy; CERES; the Clean Economy Network; and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).

According to the groups, “clean energy legislation would create 918,000 to 1.9 million new jobs nationally, and increase national GDP by $39 billion to $111 billion more than what would occur without the legislation.”

Wolf Pelts Piling Up

As Montana’s wolf hunt wags on, and so does the one in neighboring Idaho, it’s interesting to note what’s come to pass—and what hasn’t. Here are a few factoids to chew on:

--More than 70 wolves have been killed in Idaho, where hunters are allowed to bag 220 wolves total.

--Twenty three wolves have been shot during Montana’s wolf hunting season, 11 of them this past weekend alone, according to the Great Falls Tribune. The state quota is 75.

--Wolf hunting has already been shut down in the southern section of the Montana, just outside Yellowstone National Park, because the 12-wolf quota there has been met.

--Before the start of the hunts this fall, wildlife officials in both Montana and Idaho predicted that shooting a wolf or even seeing one would be tough. Chin scratching has now ensued.

--Twenty three wolves have been killed during Montana’s wolf hunting season, 11 of them this past weekend alone, according to the Great Falls Tribune. The state quota is 75.

--Wolf hunting has already been shut down in the southern section of the Montana, outside Yellowstone National Park, because the 12-wolf quota there has been met.