Thanks for support of BBBS bowling fundraiser

To the editor,

The Board of Directors, Staff and participants of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flathead County would like to thank the community for the wonderful response to the recent Bowl For Kids' Sake fundraiser. Our appreciation goes out to all of the bowlers, sponsors and businesses for being so generous with their time and financial support.

The multi-day fundraiser has brought in pledge amounts that totaled nearly $37,000! Big Brothers Big Sisters is a proven service that produces positive outcomes for children by providing one-to-one, professionally supported relationships with screened mentors from the community. These funds will make it possible to sustain current levels of service to families and to work towards our vision of matching every child who wants or needs a mentor… right here in the Flathead Valley.

A special thank you to the Pin & Cue, Northshore Lanes and Glacier Lanes for hosting the event and Pizza Hut, Pepsi, Dairy Queen and McDonald's for providing refreshments. Without your outstanding support, this would not have been possible.

Thank you also to our Lane Sponsors:

Big Impact Sponsors: Daily Inter Lake, Mountain West Bank, KCFW and Pizza Hut.

Big Magic Sponsors: AirWorks, Centurytel, First Interstate Bank, Mission Financial Group, Montana West Realty, Parkside Federal Credit Union, Pepsi, Sterling Title Services and Unishippers of Montana

Little Moments Sponsors: City Serivce/Valcon, Evergreen Lions Club, First National Bank of Montana, Flathead Bank of Bigfork, Glacier Eye Clinic, Glacier Opticians, Inc., McDonald's, National Flood Service, Provident Financial, Rocky Mountain Bank, Three Rivers Bank, Valley Bank of Kalispell, Wells Fargo Bank and Whitefish Credit Union.

We feel proud that the community shares this vision for mentoring.

Jori Bullemer, executive director

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flathead County

Need for sound National Forest Management Plan

To the editor,

A National Forest Management Plan should not cave in to more access requested by well-funded special interest lobby group pressures, or to pressure from biased politicians, but rather should declare more forest as newly designated wilderness areas instead. Decisions should be made on sound, real, independent science, without political pressure.

A plan should recognize the forest as primarily the home of wildlife, with humans being privileged to have only non-invasive access to wildlife habitat. Motorized and mechanized access might be allowed in limited areas only, on designated roads and trails, with strict management and monitoring by a forest service policing authority utilizing adequate punitive deterrents in order to ensure wildlife security. Foot traffic and horseback riding are far less damaging, not noisy, and non-threatening to wildlife and should be allowed greater access.

A plan should acknowledge that the national forest in Flathead County is the Crown Jewel of the United States Continent and belongs to all Americans, that it is a national treasure, and is not the private playground of local Montanans. Montanans should be willing to be good stewards of these lands, on behalf of all Americans, or step aside and allow the Federal Government to manage them.

Rather than using "lack of funding" as the reason for not improving existing forest roads or adding new forest roads, it should be clearly stated that these forest lands are "not suitable" for changing their current roadless status, with finality.

Strict requirements, enforcement, monitoring, and restoration of logging for fire fuel reduction to protect human domiciles might be allowed with minimal intrusion in order to protect fish and wildlife values. Such plans should be based on sound science by real biologists, not by lumber industry foresters. Adherence to valid, scientifically reasonable forest management would provide sawmills with a dependable and larger supply of timber than is the current situation.

Bill Baum

Badrock Canyon

WIC not giving option of organic foods to mothers

To the editor,

It is incredible that WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) has officially announced it will not only be forbidding mothers to purchase organic foods but is also limiting them to the least expensive items on the shelf. By refusing mothers the option of selecting organic foods, WIC is forcing these women to subject their bodies and their children to exposure to bio-accumulating toxins when both are at highly sensitive physiological stages. Due to the nature of the contemporary food system, the products WIC is endorsing are of the lowest nutritional quality and food safety standards.

By casting judgment on organic food, and even moderately more expensive, higher quality, non-organic foods, WIC is indicating to these mothers that what WIC is purportedly attempting to combat is adequate for low-income families. WIC's determination of what food is good enough for families compelled to seek assistance suggests a caste discrimination.

WIC's refusal to empower a woman to make the best food decisions for her family constitutes a serious breach of respect. It is a mother's social and biological imperative to secure the best possible for her children, and WIC's exclusion of all but the cheapest foods is an unconscionable refusal to encourage these women to perform the venerated role of motherhood with utmost care and integrity.

Bethann Garramon

Missoula

Editor's note: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care.

Salute to soccer referees

To the editor,

Fellow referees:

Just wanted to pause from my turkey sandwich to let you know how much you are appreciated.

You job is not an easy one. Whenever little Sarah trips and falls to the turf, there will be a mom or dad screaming for your scalp if you don't call a foul. Whenever Johnny sprints past a defender to play the ball, a coach 75 yards away will be positive Johnny was offside. When you make an honest mistake, some spectators will let you know you're blind, ignorant or biased — or all three.

But you know most of those folks have never cracked open a rule book, and that no amount of factual explanations will change the minds of some. So you keep current on laws and interpretations, keep in shape, keep your uniform neat, and try to ignore unfair criticism while working to keep the game safe, fair and enjoyable for the players.

Most coaches are honorable, well-intentioned people and most players are good, ethical kids. But you know that the minority, who can't quite seem to grasp the spirit of the game, would turn many matches into bloody fistfights if not for your presence, and other dedicated referees.

Youth soccer would not be possible without you, so thank you for all you do.

Dixon Rice

Kalispell Assignor

2007 Farm Bill: Farmer's point of view

Farming has been in my blood for three generations. This year marks the 30th anniversary since my wife, Sharla, and I took over the family farm from my parents. I know firsthand that production agriculture is at a crossroads. While family farms and ranches have a great deal to gain in the 21st century, we also face big challenges ahead.

One of the reasons I came to Washington was to fight for family farmers and ranchers and our rural way of life. Montanans know how much our state has on the line as Congress rewrites the Farm Bill this year. I'm pleased to say that the legislation making its way through the Senate is a winner. I say that not as a policy maker in Washington, but as a dryland dirt farmer from north central Montana.

Safety Net

One of my priorities with the Farm Bill is to make sure that there was a bona fide safety net for farm and ranch country. I know what it's like to have a good crop and I know what it's like to have no crop at all. American producers need to be protected when drought, flood, disease, hail, grasshoppers or any other disaster hits. I'm confident that there will be a strong safety net in this legislation.

Energy

Montana agriculture has much to gain as our country moves away from foreign, fossil fuel-based sources of energy and toward energy independence. Thanks to renewable sources of energy, the folks who put food on America's dinner tables are also becoming more responsible for the power that lights our homes and the fuel that we put in our cars and trucks. From biofuels to wind and solar power, this Farm Bill seriously invests in energy production coming from farm and ranch country. That will be good for our pocketbooks and it will be good for our Montana's economy.

Nutrition

Another important part of the Farm Bill is making sure all Montanans get food, and that our food supply is safe and healthy. This Farm Bill invests in critically important food assistance programs and community food projects. It also invests in farmers' markets and other programs that provide Montanans with fruit, vegetables and meat raised by local farmers and ranchers. Local food doesn't just taste better, it's healthy and it's good for Montana producers.

Country of Origin Labeling

I'm confident that the Farm Bill will finally require a nationwide Country of Origin Labeling program. It only makes sense that we know where our steaks and pork chops come from too. COOL is good policy for Montana producers and it is good policy for American consumers.

These things are just a small part of the 2007 Farm Bill — the entire bill is 1,300 pages long. But as one of the only farmers in the Senate, I can tell you these things are critically important to sustain Montana's family farmers and ranchers in order to protect our food security, and our way of life.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is a third-generation family farmer from Big Sandy.