Substitute goat study for pollution study
Glacier National Park recently announced that they were going to spend $150,000 over the next three years to study the effects on goats by cars going over Logan Pass — something that has been happening for over 75 years.
The money will be run through a researcher who, the last time he started this study, wound up killing the first two goats he tried to put a collar on.
Other than Park officials and researchers, I have not talked to anyone who supports this so-called research study. I am fighting for the Park to collect more data regarding threats to air and water pollution, something that I have shown in previous letters was abysmal under the leadership of the recently retired Park superintendent, Chas Cartwright.
A Park representative recently told a group of North Fork landowners that he wanted to pursue funding for a dust quality monitoring station (not clear whether he was speaking for the Park or hoping to protect himself) but indicated money was a problem. I say it’s not a question of money but priorities, please follow the math.
Wyoming recently added another air quality monitoring station. Cost: $190,000. Maintenance is estimated at $30,000 a year.
Here’s the kicker. The EPA paid for 74 percent of the cost of the monitoring station, so the actual cost to Wyoming was only $50,000 to buy the station. That plus three years of maintenance ($90,000) means that the total cost to Wyoming tax payers comes out to $140,000.
Here’s my math. Drop the $150,000 goat study, that almost every one I talk to opposes, and redirect the money to adding a dust quality monitoring station that you don’t have and you will still have saved $10,000 from paying for a useless goat study, one that may result in the death of more goats.
Also, I have to ask why doesn’t the Park (if they really want to seriously monitor threats to the Park from air and water pollution) ask the National Park Conservation Association, which is running ads on Kalispell radio stations, to pay for more air and water quality monitoring stations for the Park since their fundraising pitch says “national parks are suffering from numerous threats ... polluted air and water...”
—————
Joe Novak lives in Polebridge.