Fires slow, for now

Cooler weather and rain calmed fires in western Montana this week, allowing skies to clear. That made breathing easier after a few weeks of smoke-filled air.

But things may heat up again by the end of the week.

Poker Joe access fight going to court

Landowners near the Poker Joe access site on the Bitterroot River south of Florence are again threatening to block the road. Fish, Wildlife and Parks promises to take the landowners to court to defend public use of this right-of-way.

Landowners complain that they've been subjected to a recent round of vandalism. That stinks and we hope those responsible are caught and pay for their crime. But the answer to the problem isn't taking something — in this case the right to use a public right-of-way — that doesn't belong to the landowners. When the government does something like that it's called a "takings" by the property-rights crowd. It's no different when private interests take something that belongs to all citizens.

In this case, FWP is simply protecting the public property rights of all Montanans.

More mine opposition

It seems Lake County Democrats are no big fans of BP's plans to explore for coal in the Canadian Flathead. It's time for south-of-the-border GOP leaders to follow the lead of Lake County Dems. The Flathead River system is too precious to leave its future in the hands of big oil.

Good news, bad news

Cooler weather has eased the strain on some Montana rivers, while Fish, Wildlife and Parks is increasing restrictions on others.

Sign of success

Buying a wolf tag won't be on my fall shopping list anytime soon, but the fact that state officials are planning for wolf hunts in Montana in 2008 is nothing short of miraculous. When I first move to Montana in 1992 there were only a handle of wolves (mostly expat Canadians) roaming the state. Reintroduction was barely a decade ago. And now its fair to say the species is recovered in the state.

It will take diligence to keep it that way, but letting hunters kill a few wolves won't make a difference. And it will probably help on the PR front. Remember friends of the wolf, hunting was always part of the bargain when the program was sold to the public.

Montana TU pans Flathead mine

Montana Trout Unlimited adds its voice to the mounting opposition to a Canadian coal mine in the headwaters of the Flathead River. Runoff from the mine could be disastrous to this pristine watershed.

Studies have shown that trout in the Flathead system from as far as Flathead Lake migrate upstream to Canada to spawn in tributaries of the North Fork Flathead River.

Politically incorrect

We applaud Bayern Brewery's commitment to trout conservation, but we're also glad Big Sky Brewery has put the Trout Slayer brand back on the shelves. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Catch-and-release is our standard practice, but there's nothing wrong with slaying a trout destined for the frying pan from time to time.

Note to Big Sky: Now put it in cans so we can pack some along while we float.

Senator sounds off on access

Montana's junior U.S. senator, Jon Tester, weighed in in support of stream access for hunters and anglers in a recent widely circulated column this week. Tester's support for mainstream Montana values — which includes vigorous support for public access to rivers and public lands — is one of the key reasons he upset incumbent Republican Conrad Burns last fall.

Stream access has become a major problem for Montana's GOP. Their allegence to the afluent has left them siding with a few wealthy landowners against rank-and-file Montanans who regard stream access as a sacred trust. It's kind of become a jump-the-shark moment for "anti-regulation" Republicans. They'd rather defend their philosophy of opposing government actions (such as enforcing its Stream Access Law) than defend the interests of the citizens they are supposed to represent. That's not all members of the GOP mind you, but enough to foul the waters for the entire party.