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OBAMA WANTS MORE ENVIRONMENAL LITERACY

Calling it a “historic moment” and a “terrific first step,” conservationists applauded President Obama’s budget request that included, for the first time, money for “environmental literacy” for the U.S. Department of Education.

Great news, but keep in mind that it’s only the first step.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR GEEZER POWER!

The bad news is we’re getting older, and the good news is we’re getting older.

Nobody likes the older-slower-fatter succession, but at least when you get to be a geezer--and yep, I’m officially a geezer, so I take it personally--you usually have more time, but less money, to enjoy the outdoors and our public lands for camping, hiking, fishing, or scenic driving.

But not if the Forest Service has its way.

NEW OWNERSHIP, SAME AWARDING-WINNING BEER

Last July, Montana lost one its most popular craft breweries, Flathead Lake Brewing in Wood’s Bay, a tiny berg five miles south of Bigfork along Highway 35 on the shores of its namesake lake.

But now, about nine months later, the doors are re-opening.

CONSERVATIVES MOCKING CONSERVATIVES

I might as well disclose my little problem right upfront. I’m a sci-fi nut. That’s even worse than being a gun nut and fishing nut, but I’ve learned to cope with my problem. Along the way, though, I’ve had to go to almost every sci-fi flick ever made, even some really bad ones, and I think Avatar is a fascinating showpiece of ground-breaking technology and no doubt the best 3D film ever. Not the best sci-fi movie ever, though, but close. I’d rank it as the fourth best.

What makes Avatar even more fascinating is the ironic political battle raging in the background.

GREAT NORTHERN SCORES BIG

UPDATED 11 am, January 19: See footnote at the end of this article.

On February 6, the Montana beer market is getting a major shake up and a new big player. An old standard is coming back courtesy of a rare combo between a mega-brewery and a small craft brewery.

The Great Northern Brewing Company of Whitefish will be re-introducing the Black Star brand after a seven-year absence from the marketplace. The release is in partnership with none other than MillerCoors, America’s second largest beer-maker--or largest, if you consider Anheuser-Busch, recently purchased by InBev of Belgium, a foreign brewery.

AT LEAST WE HAVE EQUALITY

I’ve been writing about the gun issue for a long time, but I never thought I’d live long enough to see the Brady Campaign for Gun Violence and the National Rifle Association agree on anything, nor would I see any President get an “F” from both groups.

Well, believe it or not, it just happened.

DROPPING THE BOMB

While working on my recent article on a ballot initiative to eliminate Montana’s outfitter-sponsored big game licenses, I started wondering if this was really the best way to address perhaps the most serious problem facing the sport of hunting--and not just in Montana, but everywhere--rapidly declining public access to private land.

The real issue is a pay-to-play trend that’s leading us to the day when free public hunting on private land might only exist in the history books. Let’s look at the core cause of the problem and how to solve it.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Last week, Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) had 21 public meetings, all or mostly on the hot-button issue of Wilderness. In an exclusive phone interview with NewWest.Net this morning, he said that still wasn’t enough listening for him. Next Saturday, he’ll be in Libby hearing learning even more.

One thing he has learned, though, as he noted in his own guest column posted on NewWest.Net earlier today, is that collaboration doesn’t equal consensus.

“There’s a huge difference between the words consensus and collaboration,” Rehberg said. “Collaboration is two groups getting together and agreeing on a plan and then tried to convince everybody else to agree with it.”

SIGNATURE GATHERING UNDERWAY

There hasn’t been much news about I-161, yet, but if supporters manage to get it on the ballot, watch out. This ballot initiative could reverse the trend of declining hunting access to private land, but it also could have a profound impact on Montana’s outfitting and tourism industries.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) sets aside “not more than an average of” 5,500 nonresident deer and elk and 2,300 deer-only “outfitter sponsored guaranteed licenses” for nonresident hunters. To be eligible for licenses, according to the FWP, nonresident hunters must first contract for the services of a licensed Montana outfitter and “must conduct all sponsored license hunting with the outfitter.”

GUN LOBBY ON A ROLL

UPDATED, January 8, 10 am. See Update at end of article.

I’ve left 2009 behind, almost. Bear with me for one more look back.

Remember the insane paranoia among gun owners during the 2008 election season and throughout most of 2009?  The gun lobby whipped firearm owners into a fervor before and after the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress with dire predictions about the impending demise of the Second Amendment if not all freedoms we cherish.

I wrote several commentaries saying the opposite--basically that a lot of Democrats are pro-gun, pro-2A and many others wouldn’t touch the gun issue because it’s a political poison pill.

So, what happened?

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