Opinion

By Verena Gruber, Mautendorf, Austria I first visited the Bitterroot Valley in early March 2018 and came back to further explore the more “protected” Bitterroot mountains as well as the equally wild Sapphires this past summer of 2019. The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness mostly protects the highest parts as well as the valley heads of the Bitterroot […]

By Bill Galt, President, Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Recently one of our members submitted a letter expressing his opinions about the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. We disagree with his characterizations of the past few years of challenges that our organization has faced. We have engaged with this member over the past two years to […]

By Ty Capelle, Hamilton In my reading of the ongoing legal issues brought about due to recent decisions regarding conditional use permits by the ZBA, with regards to neighborhood groups and nonprofits like the Humane Society and St. Francis Catholic Church I find one very unique common denominator. It seems that both property owners forgot […]

By Charles E. Schlimpert, Ph.D., Portland, OR The recent Star article on the West Fork “misses the boat” by a factor of two! Reactions from individuals who actually live on the West Fork are certainly appropriate but represent only a very small percentage of those, like me, who are privileged to enjoy this very special section […]

By Rick Landry, Corvallis Who turned the parrots loose in the echo chamber? There are some familiar surnames which all to often dominate the Bitterroot Star’s LTE pages; lately they’ve begun to remind me of noisy parrots squawking in an echo chamber. However, I believe actual parrots would resonate a more meaningful message. At least […]

By Judy Hoy, Stevensville Researchers who exposed pregnant White-tailed Deer to Imidacloprid determined that many fawns born after exposure in the womb had reproductive malformations and underdeveloped facial bones (Nature, 2019), for which our 2002 and 2011 studies reported a high prevalence on grazing animals in Montana (Michael Howell, Bitterroot Star, April 9, 2019). A […]

By Fred Wacker, President, Montana Stockgrowers Association We’ve reached a pivotal moment for Montana farmers and ranchers, as three critical trade deals are finalized and implemented. The benefits here are enormous, and I strongly believe Montana’s agricultural industry can look forward to renewed success and optimism this year. As a fourth-generation Montana rancher from Miles […]

By Michael Hoyt, Corvallis It was highly unethical of Chuck Denowh to use the Missoulian’s Guest Column to spread misinformation about FWP’s scientifically-based findings regarding the future possibility for free-roaming bison in Montana. His implication that FWP’s finding “dramatically intensifies conflict over wildlife management in Montana” is pure baloney. His statement that FWP is advancing the […]

By Henry Fowler, Stevensville It’s that time of year again when everybody is supposed to celebrate the life of MLK, especially his color-blind dream for American society. It seems that over the past several years, however, it has been conservatives who have been more likely to celebrate that dream than liberals or progressives.  The cause […]

By Teresa Larsen, Victor Trump bashing has become a national sport that seems to be even more popular than football. Hence, no surprise to see the Guest Comment in your January 8 edition entitled “Who informed President Trump?” Whatever he might be, President Trump is certainly not stupid, and has not surrounded himself with stupid […]

By Carole Mackin, Helena With the Impeachment Trial, our U.S. Senators will either uphold the tried and true principles of our Constitution or they will plow new ground. Each Senator must ask: “Do I intend for future presidents to conduct their re-election campaign just as Pres. Trump is doing? Specifically, can future presidents distribute or refuse […]

By Cory Swanson, Broadwater County Attorney In water law, the most important thing is getting your water.  Montana’s Senator Steve Daines has introduced the Montana Water Rights Protection Act (MWRPA) to provide federal settlement of the water rights claims of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). Without this legislation, Montana will face years of expensive […]