Dear Mr. Gibson: Welcome back to Montana and to your new position as the state’s Chief Business Officer. I offer congratulations – and condolences. The congratulations have strong foundations. You were selected from hundreds of candidates and have a wonderful opportunity to realize your personal goals while helping others achieve theirs. While U.S. Army Ranger […]

Does our energy future imply only a set of dismal choices? The risks of nuclear power or air pollution from new power plants? The risk to wildlife from oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refugee or the Rocky Mountain Front? While it’s irresponsible to ignore trade-offs, these are not the important questions we face. […]

There’s a vacant, unambiguously positive niche for environmental entrepreneurs. It’s modeled upon the hundreds of “study abroad” programs run by colleges and universities. This program would give students hands-on experience working with nature while providing farmers and ranchers a larger supply of responsible, seasonal labor. Concurrently, the program will contribute to the public goal of […]

The tourist’s observation: “Montana would be heaven if it only had an ocean” is a slight exaggeration. However, we live in an increasingly competitive and congested world and our treasures are at risk. Specifically, our natural vistas and resources and our rural cultures are under siege. We can do little to arrest the persistent and […]

For a generation Republican Party leaders have been alienating a constituency they long took for granted. Characterized as “Range Rover Republicans”, they are well educated, well-off folks who care about wilderness and wildlife habitat. These people are deserting the Republican Party in droves. Since neither of the Bush presidents seem to understand the causes of […]

On June 24, Bozeman, my hometown, was declared an All-American “Top Ten” city. Mayor Youngman proudly announced that the award was due to our “unusually effective ways of working together to solve problems”. I feel proud to be part of a community that works together to solve problems. However, I now wonder if we truly […]

I just got a pair of running shoes. They’re great-lightweight and reasonably priced. A buddy commented, “Bet they’re made in some third world sweatshop. You shouldn’t have bought them”. I’m concerned about people making products under conditions I deplore. But will boycotting the company help anyone? I believe not. Here’s why: Reacting to millions of […]

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition held their 18TH annual meeting in West Yellowstone on June 8 – 9. Outgoing superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, Mike Finley, spoke outlining the Park’s major problems. Key threats include inadequate budgets, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species. One of his most important observations has profound implications: “In my 32 year career […]

Here’s a fundamental truth of ecological and economic systems: Not all good things go together. A neighboring rancher, an old timer I’ve liked and admired for over 30 years, called my attention to a Bozeman Chronicle article of May 26, “Canadians consider wolf kill to save caribou.” I’m a guy who, with my wife Ramona, […]

One of the first lessons responsible parents teach their children is both simple and valid: if you make a mess, clean it up. Many mining companies used their political influence to escape this admonition. This is true through out the West, even on the borders of Yellowstone National Park. Their economic calculus is simple. Benefits […]