A war of words between Bruce Farling, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited, and Mike Garrity is executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies….
Ochenski spouts alarmist nonsense on Farm Bill matter
by BRUCE FARLING
Right on cue, when Gov. Steve Bullock recommended using tools in the new federal Farm Bill that might result in some logging, Missoulian columnist George Ochenski and the usual tiny clique representing pretend “institutes,” “councils” and “alliances” began sanctimoniously lecturing Montanans on how awful this was. They claim a secret cabal conspired to deliberately exclude public concerns in order to produce environmental catastrophe.
Nonsense.
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Trout Unlimited’s mission appears to favor logging
by MIKE GARRITY
Trout Unlimited’s Bruce Farling had an opinion piece in the May 7 Missoulian that promoted logging, but other than writing “Trout Unlimited,” didn’t use the words trout, fish or clean water, which are all of the things Trout Unlimited claims they work to protect.
Unfortunately, Trout Unlimited, like a lot of big environmental groups, has decided their job is now to promote more clearcutting of Montana’s pristine watersheds instead of protecting these same aquatic ecosystems for native fish.
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I wonder how many clearcuts they really planning for Montana’s public lands. That is one problem with some environmental groups. They immediately assume the worst case scenarios, when the reality is much different. It makes reaching any real workable solutions almost impossible.
I had to chuckle in seeing “clearcutting of Montana’s pristine watersheds”. Is that the only kind of treatment that Garrity thinks that the Forest Service does? When I worked on the Bitterroot, I didn’t participate in any clearcutting projects. AND, “pristine” has a very narrow definition that most watersheds cannot boast. So, I’m kind of confused. Is the Forest Service planning to cut timber in the truly “pristine” designated Wilderness Areas, or, is it in places that are decidedly “less-than-pristine”?
*smirk*