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Guest Column: Forward Montana's Matt Singer

When young Missoulians turned out to the polls in big numbers last November, the response should have been an embrace of the newly engaged youth. After years of hearing about how young people didn’t care about politics, in this election Montana’s youth decided the fate of a U.S. Senate race. They also likely provided the margin of victory for the Missoula marijuana initiative, a measure that made adult marijuana offenses the lowest priority for local law enforcement.

Unfortunately, now – because some people dislike these results – a campaign is being waged against young voters, accusing them of being lazy, uninformed, and thoughtless, when it comes to political decision-making.

The Montana state legislature is considering HB 281, a bill that would end Election Day Registration in Montana. Nearly 4,000 Montanans took advantage of Election Day Registration, sometimes waiting in line for hours for the opportunity to vote.

Here in Missoula County, elected officials including the County Attorney and our County Commission are intent on significantly weakening the marijuana initiative, claiming that the people who passed it simply did not know what they were doing. [more]

John Engen, candidate for Mayor in Missoula, went live with his website just now. I did the design on it. It is a decidedly simple affair, but it's a city race. Missoula readers -- if you take me at my word, trust me that Engen is a good guy. If you don't take me at my word, go check out his long list of community activity. Go poke around, offer to volunteer or simply to support him.

EngenForMayor.com

Politico Watch

When Congressman Bob Beauprez, R-Colorado, used the term "Mexican time" to discuss the response of Mexico's government to an extradition request, many political observers thought the candidate for Governor had mucked up in his choice of language.

While other politicians criticized Beauprez, local pundit Colorado Luis saw something else: what might be a concerted strategy. [more]

Trading Spaces

Land swaps have been proposed in both Arizona and Utah for the purpose of opening up lands for mineral development while protecting other environmentally sensitive laws. [more]

Different Approaches

Western Montana really knows how to juxtapose the approaches to environmental protection. The Missoulian has two articles today on the different approaches. One features an Audubon member, Avista, and Plum Creek described by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks as "'a tremendous example' of cooperation." The other features the Spokane-based Lands Council, Missoula-based Ecology Center, Friends of the Clearwater, and two citizens suing over a timber sale. Diversity is the spice of life.

Man Bites Dog Stories

Montana wildlife officials reported that a rancher near Missoula legally killed a wolf that was threatening his livestock. The rancher perceived the wolf as a threat to his livelihood.

In an unrelated incident, Grant Teton National Park officials had to close an area of the park to protect a pack of wolves denning. The officials noted that humans are considered especially threatening to wolf pups.

Wilderness as Tool

The roadless rule was criticized for being an end-run around the wilderness desgination process. Now, one Utah Representative seeks to us the wilderness designation process as an end-run around locating a nuclear waste storage facility in Utah. [more]

Roadless Rule, Rocky Response

Fresh on the heels of the Bush Administration's announced changes to the roadless rule, governors, conservationists and members of the logging industry across the West were quick to respond. Now that the rule has had a bit more time to sink in, New West is listening to how things are really looking under the new policy. [more]

Road to Opportunity

When the Department of Agriculture announced in early May its rejection the Clinton-era roadless rule, one could easily have been mistaken in thinking that this would either be the West’s destruction or its salvation. On one side, environmental groups blasted the decision, noting the public comment in favor of the rule. On the other side, timber groups expressed hope that this rule would do something for logging communities and workers pinched by the decline of that industry.

But the picture that emerges upon closer study is one that indicates that neither of these views is likely to pan out. But, what the new rule does do is pass the buck to Governors and encourage new attempts at public involvement and collaboration -- meaning collectively, it should provide Westerners with an opportunity to take what was one of the most divisive issues on the Western landscape and turn it into a new chance to come together. [more]

New Direction

Idaho may be gaining new Wilderness, along with some off-roadin' terrain, if Mike Simpson's carefully crafted wilderness bill goes through. You can tell it is probably a good compromise, as many groups are supporting while saying that they would all like to see some changes. In other words, none of them got everything they wanted, but most got enough.

Now the question is whether the compromise can pull through in Congress, where many people will be OK changing it out of principle and many others will be more than happy to help scuttle a compromise.