wilderness issues lecture lecture series

On Tuesday night, Eban Goodstein stood before an audience of mainly college students at the University of Montana and urged them to take action in making climate change the most important issue of their generation.

“This really is the mission of your generation, and with that mission you cannot afford to fail,” he said.

Goodstein, a professor of economics at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon and founder of Focus the Nation, was speaking as part of the University’s Wilderness Issues Lecture Series. Goodstein said that in order to posses technologies such as solar energy and wind power that will be vital for dealing with global warming, today’s college students must convince their leaders to make investments right now. Goodstein called the process “intergenerational gift giving” and said that it is necessary considering the level of restructuring required by future generations. [more]

new west news brief

On Monday, chemical company W.R. Grace agreed to an estimated $3 billion settlement to resolve current and future asbestos claims against the company, according to the AP.

If U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Judith Fitzgerald approves the plan, the company will pay $250 million in cash into a trust fund for asbestos victims, followed by deferred payments of $110 million per year for five years beginning in 2019 and $100 million per year for 10 years beginning in 2024. [more]

wildfire

A new lawsuit has been filed against the Forest Service and its use of chemical fire retardant to combat wildfires.

The Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics filed their second lawsuit in Missoula’s US District Court Wednesday, claiming the Forest Service is in violation of the Endangered Species Act and other laws because the chemical retardant does in fact significantly harm wildlife in lakes and rivers.

“Our goal all along, from day one, is to end the war on fire and turn it into a management, a police action, an armistice,” said FSEEE Executive Director Andy Stahl.

The FSEEE is a private, nonprofit organization based in Eugene, Oregon. Stahl says the Forest Service has nearly bankrupted itself by fighting fire -- about half of the agency's budget is spent on fighting fire -- and the time has come to change that. [more]

Wilderness Issues Lecture Series

Christianity has a responsibility to protect the environment and be stewards of God’s creation, said Boise-based Pastor Tri Robinson Tuesday night at the University of Montana in Missoula.

"People have to awaken to the idea that (environmental degradation) is not right and it’s not acceptable," he said.

Speaking as part of the University's Wilderness Issues Lecture Series, Robinson, the author of Saving God's Green Earth and pastor of Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Boise said his decision to speak out on the importance of the environment was the result of years of deliberation. [more]

climate change

Is it hotter in here, or is it just the American West? According to a new climate study by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the U.S. West is getting warmer at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the world.

"Global warming is hitting the West hard," Theo Spencer of the NRDC said in a statement. "It is already taking an economic toll on the region's tourism, recreation, skiing, hunting and fishing activities."

In the 11-state Western region the average temperature has risen 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit over the last five years, while the global average has been 1.0 degrees, according to the study. Utah, Wyoming, Arizona and Montana are feeling it the most with rises more than two degrees higher than the rest of the planet. [more]

"Let 'er run"

A trickle of water breached the Milltown Dam around noon Friday, but it was a momentous trickle, the first time the waters of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers flowed freely at their confluence in a century, part of the ongoing Superfund cleanup and restoration project.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester were on hand to witness the historic event, and hundreds of onlookers gathered at the dam and downstream to watch as a cloud of sediment and other long-buried debris ran into the Clark Fork.

endangered species act

Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will be officially removed from the endangered species list and responsibility for their management turned over to the states today.

“Overall this is a real positive step for wolf recovery and wolf management,” said Steve Nadeau, large carnivore coordinator for the Idaho department of fish and game. “The Endangered Species Act is designed to delist wolves. You don’t put them there to keep them there.”

Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will assume full management responsibility from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the wolves in their states under federally approved management plans, and all three states’ plans include wolf hunting. The first wolf hunting season could come as early as this fall. [more]

rivers will flow free

Tomorrow the Milltown Dam will be breached and the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers will flow free for the first time in 100 years. It's scheduled to happen around 11:30 a.m.

“Initially there will be a bit of a surge. It’s not like a wave. It’s like a tide,” Envirocon engineer Ben Johnson said last week.

The Clark Fork Coalition Website has a map to the Milltown Bluff Overlook (here) from which the breaching can be viewed. (The Coalition also has a neat time lapse video of progress on the dam deconstruction.)

Check back with NewWest.Net tomorrow for coverage. [more]

a posthumous presidential address

No, you weren't caught in a time warp Wednesday morning if you drove past the Missoula County Courthouse. That was Ulysses S. Grant speaking behind the podium. As part of a campaign called "Farewell to 1872," the eighteenth president of the United States (or at least a very convincing look-alike) was in the Garden City to speak about reform of the Mining Law of 1872, which he passed himself, 136 years ago.

The speech was organized by the Pew Campaign for Responsible Mining, and Missoula was the first stop in the former president's four-city tour. With wife Julia standing by his side, the president formally bid farewell to the law by reading from and signing a proclamation. The law, which was passed seventeen years before Montana became a state, gives mining of gold, uranium and other hardrock metals priority over other land uses on most public lands regardless of the environmental impact the mining may have. [more]

new west news brief

Glacier National Park has a new superintendent, Chas Cartwright. We just got the press release in our inbox. Here it is:

"Chas Cartwright, a 21-year veteran of the National Park Service (NPS) has been named superintendent of Glacier National Park in Montana, according to Intermountain Regional Director Mike Snyder. Cartwright will assume his new position in late May. He will replace Mick Holm, who served as superintendent for six years before retiring from the NPS.

"In making the announcement, Snyder said, 'Chas brings a wealth of in-depth knowledge and broad experience to this vital position. He is a seasoned superintendent, with a firm commitment to the preservation and protection of park resources, and a keen ability to interact with partners, communities, and Congressional leaders.'" [more]