Editor,

Regarding the impending budget cuts for Sanders County, I wish that the Sanders County Commissioner would place the blame where it actually belongs.

In that article, Commissioner Laws stated "…that the timber money first started declining in the late 1970s when ‘people’ began to protest timber sales". What he should have said is "…that the timber money first started declining in the late 1970s when the Environmental Protection Agency, backed by the Sierra Club and other environmental entities began to protest timber sales."

It had nothing to do with people. "People" in this county and in counties across the nation, never complained about timber sales, because most of these "people" depended upon their livelihood from the sale of timber. These people were used to using their forests that belong to them for their livelyhood, recreation and hunting. As far as I can remember, there were no "people" protesting about timber sales or the use of the forests to support families, schools and the forest road systems. No it was the very few but loud, militant and very financially endowed environmentalists who protested us right out of our rights to support families, schools, forest roads and the county road system.

If the commissioners had any backbone at all, they would file suit against the Sierra Club and all of the other environmentalists for damages inflicted upon our county over all these years from this abuse and sabotage of our freedom to use our lands as best suited for the people. But they won't.

Instead, they will simply complain about how poor the county is now that the sabotage is complete. Now they will attempt to retrieve the money needed to replace what the environmentalists stole from us. And they will do so directly through property taxes or indirectly through the back door of the federal legislature. Either way, it comes out of our pocket.

The Sanders Natural Resource Council has the best approach to reversing many of these problems, but the County Commissioners have been dragging their feet to approve their plan. Why? The only thing that I can think of is that the EPA and the Sierra Club are more important than the "people". I am afraid that the EPA and the Sierra Club is enmeshed too deeply within the confines of the Forest Service. I might add that this is the same Forest Service that is supposed to be working for us the “people.”

I say: "Send an invoice to the Environmental Protection Agency or to the Sierra Club for the damages and losses to our county for this sabotage."

I say: "Force the Federal Government to sell a few hundred thousand acres of Sanders County forest land to small farmers or developers so that property taxes can be collected from people who will till and take proper care of the land. This spreads the cost of running county government between more property owners and it will reduce the fire hazards that have been allowed to increase to a very dangerous stage over the past 30 years."

I say: "It is time that somebody started listening to the ‘people’ rather than blame it on the ‘people’.”

Les Wood

Plains

Stakeholders vs Sanders Natural Resource Council

Editor,

What is the difference between the Sanders & Mineral County Stakeholder Coalition and the Sanders Natural Resource Council? Why do we need both? Is one contradictory to the other? Is there any unnecessary duplication of purposes between the two?

First, the mission of the Stakeholders is project-oriented. It is to find, evaluate, and approve projects that the US Forest Service can perfom without threat of being on the losing ends of lawsuits by the Sierra Club, Wildwest Institute, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, and their allies. Initially the projects are centered around fuel-reduction in the forests, especially in wildland-urban interface areas, as required by the Healthy Forest Restoration Act and Healthy Forest Initiative. When the Coalition was first organized a year ago, it was emphatically stated that its members were to "leave their positions (on issues) at the door" and focus entirely on non-controversial projects.

Constrast that with the Sanders Natural Resource Council (SNRC). Its mission is to produce a doucment for local government which is entirely a "position statement". The document is the "Sanders Natural Resource Plan" (SNRP). It is not project oriented. Contained in the Plan are goals, objectives and policies for the management of public lands by all public agencies, including but not limited to the Forest Service. The second part of the SNRC's mission is to see the Plan implemented by our local government, under the "coordination" laws (Federal and State). The Stakeholders are not operating under the "coordination" mandate or definition.

Second, the SNRP will give our local government officials, who by the way actively participate in the Stakeholders, a written document to use in the evaluation of proposed projects. The Stakeholdes in general have no such organized basis for evaluation and have no intention of creating such a document. With the SNRP at least our Commissioners will have a logical, written means for their evalution of projects proposed by the Stakeholders and we, the citizens of Sanders County, will have a say in Stakeholder projects. Without the SNRP the Commissioners have only their own opinions and ideas to go on and these can result in inconsistent decisions.

Third, the SNRC is local-citizen based with no special interest group represented. The Stakeholders make an issue of having as many special-interest groups as possible officially represented.

In summary, the Sanders Natural Resource Council's Plan complements the Stakeholders and should be viewed as an essential tool for the accomplishment of the Stakeholder mission.

Ron Olfert

Plains

Call When It Hurts

Sanders County Fire and Ambulance volunteers are much too important to take for granted. We are very lucky to have them. Certainly, being spread out in every direction makes their job harder. I recall a Native American comment asking why the white man spread out everywhere in every direction-he said you can't find anyone. He was right. Our trained volunteers can only do their best.

Lots of personal time is given up to help us. Recent retiring fireman from Noxon, Charlie Chaboya deserves thanks for all his giving. Thanks to all of you others who volunteer!

L.J. LaBelle

Noxon