Regarding Ravalli County’s wolf policy, a recent Missoulian quoted
Commissioner Chilcott, “This policy should be recognized as advocacy
for humans, for ungulate populations and for livestock.” Is he serious?
The wolf policy, as reported in the paper, is inhumane, illegal and
unnecessary.
If the County Commissioners actually had concern for humans, ungulate
populations and livestock, they would do something about the epidemic
of health problems in humans, domestic animals and wildlife as a result
of thyroid hormone disruption and other endocrine disruption caused by
use of pesticides, especially herbicides and fungicides, here and in
states upwind. The USGS researchers found high levels of pesticides in
the snow, foliage, animals and lake water in Glacier Park. Are levels
of toxins in Glacier snow any different than in snow falling here?
The real problem is not wolves. It is thyroid hormone disruption
symptoms in the domestic animals, wildlife, and in humans, especially
newborns and little children. The serious effects of fetal
hypothyroidism are decimating the economy in Western Montana. For
example, huge health bills for the parents of children with
developmental problems, health bills, including prescription drugs, for
all affected adults, loss to cattle ranchers in weight gain because over
half their calves have underbite, and the loss of wild young to
hypothyroidism leaving too few for both human hunters and predators.
Having less human hunters impacts all the businesses dependent on
hunting.
The solution to fixing the economy is to ask the EPA to test the air,
foliage, snow, rain, and surface waters for pesticides, mercury
and other thyroid hormone disrupting toxins. The economy will likely
get worse unless the toxin/s causing the fetal hypothyroidism is/are
found and the use of it/them stopped. Returning all to good health
would also heal the economy, a policy we all should support.
Judy Hoy
Stevensville