http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C146/L/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2009 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:39:53 MST Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:39:53 MST http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/open_fields_still_closed/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/open_fields_still_closed/C146/C146/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:56:07 MST Open Fields was a “major victory” for hunters and wildlife conservation, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and many other green groups that lobbied for it. It passed back in December 2008, but almost a year later, this innovative hunter access program is still mired in the administrative rule making process. Now, predictably, conservationists who struggled mightily for the program are asking Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for a little more priority. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/choosing_a_fishing_lodge/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/choosing_a_fishing_lodge/C146/C146/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:33 MST So, you’ve finally decided to take that fishing trip of a lifetime--to Alaska, Canada, Patagonia, the Caribbean or another exotic location. Now, be sure you choose the right lodge. The cost is always key, of course, but hardly the only concern. Regardless of your passion--bonefish, tarpon, muskie, salmon, monster rainbows or pike, whatever--you don’t want your long-awaited (and deserved, right?) vacation to turn into a stressful and costly disappointment. If you’re a do-it-yourself type of guy, this column isn’t for you, but if you decide to stay at a fishing lodge and have a guided adventure, finding the right outfitter and avoiding problems along the way can be challenging. I’m hardly an expert, but I’ve stayed at a dozen or more lodges through the years.  Along the way, I’ve picked up a few tips that might be helpful. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/testers_wilderness_bill_updates/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/testers_wilderness_bill_updates/C146/C146/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:00:59 MST UPDATED 10/27/09. See end of column. Anybody who reads NewWest.Net regularly might be getting a little weary of reading about Senator Jon Tester’s “Jobs and Recreation Act,” S. 1470. So far, by last count, we’ve posted twenty-two articles and columns on the bill and its impact. This includes our own coverage and several guest columns, as we’ve tried to give each major stakeholder a forum to voice their point of view, including one from the senator himself. (Click here to read them all.) But this bill keeps on giving out stories, it seems, such as these updates and follow-ups to earlier postings. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/roadless_rule_bill_the_timing_is_right_so_just_pass_it/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/roadless_rule_bill_the_timing_is_right_so_just_pass_it/C146/C146/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:42:04 MST Unnoticed by many, two members of Congress from Washington have decided it’s about time to do something to resolve the seemingly endless debate over the future of our last roadless lands. Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Jay Inslee, both Democrats, have re-introduced the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act (S.1738, H.R. 3563) to codify the Clinton-era Roadless Rule that has been on a legal roller coaster for the past nine years. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/hunters_use_bear_spray_help_save_your_sport/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/hunters_use_bear_spray_help_save_your_sport/C146/C146/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:03:31 MST General big game hunting seasons are opening soon, and legions of stealthy hunters will be silently stalking around grizzly country in pre-dawn darkness, but only after they’ve sprayed themselves with human scent blocker, “buck scent” or stale elk pee. As sure as the seasons will open, some of them will have a close encounter with a grizzly, often resulting in a dead bear. Much has been written about this subject. Every wildlife expert out there has encouraged hunters to carry bear pepper spray instead of a big handgun for self-defense, but clearly, a lot of hunters ignore this advice, even though it’s all for their own safety and the future of hunting. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/everything_motorists_want_to_know_about_road_cyclists/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/everything_motorists_want_to_know_about_road_cyclists/C146/C146/ Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:20:56 MST Last week, I vented about the incredibly dangerous rage a few motorists have for road cyclists. (You should check out the comment section.) This week I’m trying to be more constructive and address some of the reasons I think might cause the anger, things many motorists might not understand about cycling and cyclists. Hopefully, this “motorist Q&A” helps explain why cyclists do the things they do and lessen concerns drivers have, which should make it easier for all of us to courteously and safely share the road. I could, actually, give the same answer for all of these questions--"it’s the safest way to ride"--but I will try to be more helpful.  http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/road_rage_for_cyclists_embarrassing_dangerous_un_american/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/road_rage_for_cyclists_embarrassing_dangerous_un_american/C146/C146/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:54:20 MST If even one driver who hates cyclists reads this column (and next week’s column), I’ll not only consider it well worth the time I spent writing it, but also a big victory for public safety. The vast majority of motorists courteously and safely share roadways with cyclists, but a very small minority not only aren’t courteous, but for some unexplainable reason fill up with rage whenever they see cyclists on the road ahead. Anybody who regularly rides bicycles on paved roadways knows about this minority. They not only think cyclists have no right to use public roadways but also show their anger by shouting obscenities and giving out the universal salute and even do all sorts of outright dangerous things like coming up behind cyclists blaring their horns, purposely passing inches from handlebars at high speed, or throwing beer cans and other objects, which become lethal missiles for somebody on a bicycle. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/montanas_stealth_park_fee_a_sequel/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/montanas_stealth_park_fee_a_sequel/C146/C146/ Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:00:44 MST The other day during my early morning shift downtown at the coffee shop at the ORG (Old Retired Guy) table, we turned our attention to how Montana funds its state parks system. Conversation at the ORG table is normally quite intellectual, by the way, and a lot of politicians could benefit from sitting in on our sessions. They’d sure find out what the ORGs really think about things. We frequently discuss taxes (surprised?), and on that day I happened to mention I was riding my bicycle down to the clerk and recorder office after my morning IQ-boosting session to renew my vehicle registration. I brought out my renewal card, and we analyzed it to death. I’ve been paying vehicle registration fees for a long time, and now, finally, thanks to the ORG table, I sort of understand what’s going on. And the ORGs say, this might be a good deal, but we don’t like the way the government does it. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_other_libby/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_other_libby/C146/C146/ Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:30:54 MST When you hear the word, Libby, what do you think? Not good, eh? The micropolis of far northwestern Montana makes a lot of headlines, but it seems like it’s never good news. When I bring up the subject down at the coffee shop or taproom, most people start talking about asbestos, the corporate greed of W.R. Grace, and people gradually dying because of it…or about a remote timber town swamped in the wake of the implosion of the wood products industry, closed mills, unemployed loggers…or about red-necked, AR-15-toting, arch-conservatives hiding out in remote cabins, driving around in camo-colored Jeeps, scouring the skies for black helicopters….or an Appalachia-esque community fraught with economic despair that doesn’t welcome outsiders. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/secrecy_clouds_credibility_of_poll_on_testers_wilderness_bill/C146/C146/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/secrecy_clouds_credibility_of_poll_on_testers_wilderness_bill/C146/C146/ Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:58:32 MST Anybody following the build-up to the official announcement of Senator Jon Tester’s (D-MT) wilderness bill, what he calls the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, probably read the stories and commentaries about refusals from Tester’s staff and the coalition of environmental groups and timber industry reps drafting the bill to release any advance details to the press. This refusal fueled a lot of skepticism, to say the least, and cast a negative shadow on what otherwise would’ve been a grand event for Montana--our newly elected senator stepping up to the bar and making an sincere attempt to end Montana’s Wilderness Drought. Now, they’re doing it again.