Change is always with us, necessitating modifying our behaviors if we wish to maintain the best quality of life for ourselves and future generations. As a fifth generation Montanan, my great, great grandfather, DB, homesteaded in Montana in 1864 and times were much different then. While out haying one day, his dogs started barking at a bear. When DB and his brother-in-law, Carpenter, tried to get closer for a good shot, the bear charged, knocking DB into a sand bar, and biting his leg to the bone. In the flurry, Carpenter shot at the bear, but most of the heavy shot hit DB who never fully recovered from the bear bites and gunshot wounds.
Now, 150 year later, being stewards of Montana shifts the focus from survival to preserving the state’s wildlife. Trapping also adds to the costs to taxpayers once a species is endangered. That area loses jobs in mining, timber and other revenue.
As Teddy Roosevelt said, “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do their part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.”
I-177 would help achieve Teddy’s vision.
Dorothy Filson
Bozeman