Don't believe pit hype

To the editor,

Do not sign on to the West Glacier hype about the Spoklie gravel pit impacting Glacier National Park. It doesn't border the park, as in between lies private timbered lands, Burlington Northern railway, more forest lands, and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Further, it is inland of the river on a plateau that includes Spoklie's 35.4 acres, void of any streams or surface drainages.

Pursuant to a binding agreement with the Flathead County, 11-plus of Spoklie's 35 acres is to be maintained as a buffer zone for aesthetics, wildlife and other values. Of the remaining 24 acres, gravel mining is limited to a maximum of eight acres at any one time. Keeping to this limit requires ongoing restoration/re-vegetation.

There are seasonal and daily operating restrictions which Mr. Spoklie must meet also. For example, the requirement to pave a mile of Belton Stage Road which was completed last summer and addresses safety and dust issues from the pit which, incidentally, is idle most of the year including the summer. Another is limiting gravel crushing to the bottom of the pit to minimize noise, dust and visual concerns.

The public is welcome to tour the pit located at 1252 Belton Stage Road and accessed from that road from the north. Follow the pavement south to where it ends and turn west and drive past a colossal number of junk vehicles and other notable debris belonging to the private residence fronting the access road into the pit. You will find Spoklie's pit to be well maintained and not in the least a threat to GNP or the Middle Fork.

Consider the alternative — trucking gravel at considerable expense from southwest of Columbia Falls and an extra 1.5 hours of U.S. Highway 2 travel on one of the highest listed vehicle crash corridors in Montana.

The Spoklie pit has served GNP's needs for decades and typically receives used concrete, asphalt and other unwanted materials from the park for recycling. Visit the location for an informed perspective — something that the opposition likely does not want. Comment to DEQ by e-mailing rsamdahl@mt.gov.

Bruce Barrett

Lakeside

Support a clean river

To the editor,

Calling the Flathead Valley home for 15 years has been a privilege. Owning a cabin on the North Fork is an even greater one. We live in a region that provides us with a myriad of outdoor recreational experiences that we all love. Our communities are safe. Neighbors are friendly. My car keys are usually in the ignition. We enjoy more than our fair share of the world's clean water, air and wildlife.

My parents taught me that privileges come with responsibilities: Living in a special place brings the responsibility to make sure it stays the same or better. I enjoy serving my neighbors and friends, though city council meetings often run late, as do meetings for our community-based literary journal, the Whitefish Review. I feel these efforts are important. They add to our sense of place and community.

Last week, the national conservation organization American Rivers released the annual list of the Ten Most Endangered Rivers in America. The North Fork of the Flathead is number five. Think about this: The wildest and most pristine river left in the Continental United States is also the fifth most endangered. Clean water and Glacier National Park are essential to our quality of life and economic prosperity. The reality is that once these open spaces and watersheds are gone or trashed, they don't come back.

If nothing else, become informed. Tell your family and friends that you support a Flathead River free from strip mines and coalbed methane. Contact Sen. Max Baucus and your local state legislator; remind them of the value we all place on the last best place. We have everything to lose and nothing to gain if these mining operations move forward in southern British Columbia.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Ryan Friel

Whitefish city councilor/your neighbor

Reality of CHIP

To the editor,

Everyone loves kids. That's how proponents sold the CHIP extension bill of goods and how they are painting the picture of ogre Republicans fighting it. Montanans thought they voted for a healthcare program for low income uninsured children in a state with a surplus, but got instead a program for families with incomes $65,000 to $70,000 in an economically troubled Montana. Within a week after Gov. Schweitzer was elected, our alleged $1 billion surplus was reduced by $700 million, with the remainder dwindling since then. Another deception was the cost to taxpayers, with realistic estimates five times theirs or $100 million per year. The only way to pay for this extension is to take money from somewhere else such as K-12 education.

I am a physician with five children and six grandchildren. Ninety-nine percent of the time when children get sick, they need fluids, rest and loving comfort. They don't need to see a doctor. At medical offices, they will be exposed to microorganisms, many will be put on unnecessary antibiotics, and it is stressful to the child to be poked and prodded. Because most can't afford to go to doctors, they give their children the love, rest and fluids they need, and not surprisingly the children get better. This is what parents have always done, and the children are better for it.

Furthermore, when there are entitlement programs with a low copay for doctor's visits, patients go to doctors more often than necessary. Medical offices don't want to see these people because the payment is so low they would go out of business if they saw too many of them.

Understand, truly underprivileged children are already covered under the CHIP program. Montana cannot afford to extend that coverage to the middle class.

Annie Bukacek, M.D.

Kalispel

Wrestling for everyone

To the editor,

Regarding Mr. Ostrom's column about girl wrestlers:

I am the president of the Libby wrestling club, and would like to set the record straight!

First — The only 119-pound wrestler Libby has would be the 119-pound A bracket state champion (who is undefeated). The wrestler your grandson wrestled was from Mission.

Second — To the idea that Libby has the only girl wrestlers in the world. We do have four girl wrestlers — their ages are 12, 10, 7 and 4. Kalispell, Ronan, Arlee, Butte, Mission and many other schools in Montana have girl wrestlers.

Third — The number-one way for a kid to receive a full-ride scholarship in America to a Division I school is to be a woman wrestler. Many of the top-flight programs in America are starting women's teams.

Fourth — You may have seen this thing on TV this summer called the Olympics. If you had taken the time to watch you would have seen women with gold, silver, and bronze medals in this (MALE) sport.

In conclusion, Mr. Ostrom, I think we — and you — live in the 21st century. You should get with the times instead of being stuck in the 60s.

Vic Crace

Libby Wrestling Club president