Not everyone thankful for firefighters' efforts

To all you bureaucrats, I offer my sincerest sarcastic "thanks" for ruining the northerly view of the mountains that we all can see (from north and south shores of the reservoir in Thompson Falls). '

You all left a scar on the landscape and thousands of acres of BURNED or KILLED large trees, just so you could claim you "saved us" from a fire that would likely, based on current date, never have threatened us.

Build your fire lines. Stop the fires. But, drop napalm all over the place just to keep your crews working? Give us a break.

Look at the south-facing slope of Silcox and neighboring peaks.

For me, you get an "F" for destroying 50 or more percent of the LARGE trees - standing timber - on Mount Silcox and nearby this past summer.

From less than 2 thousand acres, you all grew it to nearly 40,000 acres with NAPALM drops.

Due to your "diligent firing operations" you were able to ignite more than half the STANDING TIMBER on the Mountains north, west, and east of Thompson Falls.

All in YOUR name of "saving the forest", while ELIMINATING as well all the underbrush and shrub layers in which MOST forest-using birds build nests and raise THEIR young - in which deer, sheep, and bears dwell.

The ABSENCE of ALL late summer birds is evidence of what you all did.

Thanks a lot.

Good going guys and gals. BTW. We only saw you "public information officers" in clean uniforms at Harvest Foods and other locations, while non-English-speakers were actually out there on the lines, covered with soot and dirt as they came to the stores after working all day and night.

I hope you are proud of yourselves. Just look northerly from Thompson Falls - it is evident to anyone to see what "great work" you all were "thanked" for doing.

Sincerely,

Jim Greaves, Thompson Falls, Montana