Cowabunga thanks

Our sincere thanks and gratitude goes out to all 232 participants of this year's Cowabunga Variety Show. The community boasted 178 on-stage performers and 54 others who played tech, backstage and critical volunteer roles in Act I and Act II.

We, representatives of FOBS, are humbled by the awesome commentary — notes, calls and editorials alike, about this annual extravaganza. We are thrilled so many consider it a "staple" of the cow-munity and believe it to be a prime example of a community working, playing and celebrating together.

As most know, FOBS is an all-volunteer, non-profit, parent-teacher-community organization founded primarily to raise money for curricular and extracurricular activities for the youth of Bigfork and to augment dwindling school budgets. Very often these budget cuts are made to educational components that many of us believe to be necessary and desirable for the development of well rounded, well-educated children. FOBS was established to do something about that, and the money raised through this show, and several other annual FOBS fundraisers, goes directly to support and augment these activities. There are no administrative fees, no salaries, no fluff!

Every year FOBS sends out a "Request" form to teachers and staff at both Bigfork and Swan River Schools, along with leaders of youth based enriching activities in our community. From these wish lists, FOBS contributes all the funds raised throughout the year. With the failure of the High School Bond , no doubt there will be dire requests, which in the past have ranged from $25 -$6,000. We are proud to tell you that FOBS has funded, at some level, every request that has been brought before us. The requests are judged and funded based on the merit, the number of students they benefit as well as short and long term effects.

Our goal this year for Cowabunga is $15,000. Although this year we had, yet again, generous sponsors and sellout shows, we are asking you to be our Act III — We'll call it "Mooooo-la." We have one month before the formal wish lists come in to bring this goal to fruition and fund as many requests as possible. Many of our "Old Faithful" sponsors are arriving back in town for spring and missed our show deadlines, others who did attend told us they wish they had committed to a sponsorship, and still others who made their maiden voyage to Cowabunga are now "hooked." Our plea to you is to send in your contribution — nothing is too small or large — to help us meet this year's goal. The reward will be "Cowabungas" for years to come. Your child, your grandchildren, your neighbors, and your friends will continue to be given an opportunity to shine in a venue that will carry a lifetime of memories… We will gladly share the DVD of "Cowabunga Mooo'nar Eclipse" with any sponsors (past present and future).

Surely Act III will bring the same thunderous round of applause as Act I & Act II did! We hope everyone will want to get in on the act!

At the risk of diminishing your excitement about the show, we ask people to please make their feelings tangible to help us meet this year's goal and play a starring role in Act III. Donors can mail a check to: FOBS - Cowabunga, PO Box 188, Bigfork MT 59911 or call us and we'll pick it up!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Mary Knoll and Diana Rahdert (Co-Producers)

Thanks to Bigfork

As chairperson of MDA's Shamrocks Against Dystrophy, I want to take a moment to thank businesses and patrons in the Bigfork area for their generous participation in our 2008 campaign. I'm delighted to say that this year's fundraising efforts were a great success.

Those little green and gold Shamrocks mobiles sold by local businesses help support MDA's vital programs of research, health care services and public education right here in Bigfork and across the country.

On behalf of all the individuals and families coping with muscle-wasting diseases, I send a big warm "thank you" to Bigfork residents - you've certainly put a smile in these Irish eyes!

Sincerely,

Maureen McGovern

Red Cross support

Over the past couple of weeks we have been reading many articles regarding the American Red Cross and the termination of our two Red Cross employees in Kalispell. Rod Kopp, the chief executive officer of American Red Cross in Montana, has stated funding problems have resulted in this move. Mr. Kopp has further stated that there should be no affect as to services offered by our local Red Cross office as volunteers can fill the need. Anyone who works in the volunteer world knows that there are many people who want to give of their time however to be effective it takes more than time, it takes coordination and overall administration to get the job done. Losing our local Red Cross employees will have a negative impact on our community.

The Fire Chiefs of the Flathead are expressing our concern over what Mr. Kopp calls a necessary solution. We see throughout the year the positive actions of the Red Cross locally as our community members who are experiencing trauma in their lives have no one to turn to but the Red Cross for housing and other short term needs. It might be the result of a house fire or the wildfires of summer or flood or any number of other disasters where the Red Cross fills that need. We see first hand the work the Red Cross does as a family is displaced from their home. And it doesn't stop there—the Red Cross also provides training in CPR, First Aid, Water Rescue and many other emergency response skills and while it is often volunteers who perform this training it is the staff in the background who keeps the wheels turning and who completes the paperwork and gives that constant "face" to the Red Cross. They also provide a valuable service to our Military families.

We want to say thanks to our dedicated Red Cross workers, both paid and volunteer. It is the combination of the two that makes our local office the success it is. For anyone to question the viability of the NW Montana Red Cross Office would have to come from ignorance of what this group of dedicated professionals does in our community. It is time to work together as that community to keep what we have. Maybe that is a few dollars from our pockets or maybe it is some time from our schedules—it takes both, not just to ensure we keep our Red Cross Office doors open but to also be there to assist our neighbors in their times of need.

As Fire Fighters we know the work Red Cross does in our community. We hope Mr. Kopp will listen to our concerns and work with us to keep what we have rather than "shutting the door." There are solutions to be found when we work together.

Sincerely,

Fire Chiefs of Flathead County

Iraq and Constitutional Initative 100 (CI-100)

On March 19, 2008, the United States experienced its fifth year in the Iraqi Conflict. As of that date, the US has experienced the loss of 3,391 servicemen and women. As a retired military officer, every death and every casualty is a personal loss. Unfortunately, other than writing comments and carrying on dialogue with friends and acquaintances, there is nothing you or I can do about this war. The state of Montana has experienced the loss of ten of its finest young men. Each was laid to rest with dignity and full military honors, plus all the respect that their community could give.

Yet in this same timeframe, a war has been going on in the state of Montana in which 10,767 innocents have lost their lives. None of these children were buried with honor and dignity. Their names never appeared on the TV or were featured in the newspaper. They came from every county in the state. Most of our citizens never even knew they existed. This is a tremendous casualty loss in that Montana has the 44th largest population in the US. Imagine what it is like in the larger states.

This is a war that each resident of Montana can participate in. This is a war that each citizen can make a contribution to see that casualties are depreciated and ultimately stopped. Constitutional Initiative 100 (CI-100) affords each registered voter, an opportunity to go to Life2008.org and download a copy of the petition and the affidavit. If your petition has only your name on it, you have done your duty.

Respectfully,

Jim Van Sickle COL (ret)

Stevensville

Ramification of conservation law

The term, perpetuity, key to conservation easement contracts, guarantees that land will forever retain restricted use with the exception of that agreed upon by the property owner and the land trust. The holder of the land trust becomes the management agency with monitoring and supervisory authority enforced by law, while the property owner, holder of the title, assumes forever all costs of liability, taxes and maintenance related to the property. Prospective buyers of easement encumbered property must consider these financial obligations, as well as specified restricted uses such as development rights.

Heirs to the property, generally offspring of parents who signed the contract in perpetuity, must forever continue paying taxes, insurance and all expenses related to the land. They generally now live elsewhere with livelihoods other than farming or ranching. If they become financially unable to meet monetary obligations of inherited property they will likely seek disposal. The larger the acreage the fewer will be the potential buyers of land which cannot be subdivided and is limited in number and style of personal residences. Until this last legislative session it was reassuring that land trusts were willing to take encumbered land off the hands of financially strapped owners eager, if not desperate, to dispose of it.

Traditional real estate law extinguishes the CE contract when the entity holding the easement also becomes holder of the land and title. Senate Bill 317 passed by the last Montana state legislature and recently codified into law, amended previous law by no longer permitting this nullification of contract. Land trusts, (non-profit, non-taxpaying organizations), can no longer purchase encumbered land, thus freeing it of restrictions, only to sell or use it profitably. It also removes the avenue for owners seeking an escape from financial obligations assumed through inheritance or ill-advised purchase of encumbered land.

Alarming amounts of federal money is funneling into private land acquisition through CEs as well as programs to convert federal multiple use lands into wilderness, representing an federal "land grab" epidemic nationwide. Appealing federal tax write-offs as well as monetary funding are offered land owners. These one-time-only perks are not available to future owners whether by inheritance or purchase. Highly heralded almost to the point of patriotism are the virtues of open space, wildlife protection and preserving rural lifestyle. The fact that property taxes at the local level remain the same, allows ever increasing amounts of acreage to go unnoticed under conservation easement, very likely to eventually erode into fallow, weed-prone, empty space. Unsaleable property falling to the county through tax default, in essence represents a liability, basically becoming parkland maintained by local taxpayers similar to our National Parks and increasingly non-productive Forest Service lands financed by federal taxes.

Please mark your calendar for an upcoming MFMU Conservation Easement Information Forum April 19, 1:00-3:30 PM, at Crossroads Christian Church, north of Bigfork, Hwy 35 between Hwys 82 and 83.

Clarice Ryan

Board Member

Montanans for MultipleUse