Please read the opinion piece by Bill Cunningham and Tom Pedersen published in the December 23, 2020 Helena Independent Record (www.helenair.com). They write of Montana Conservation Elders' "cautious optimism" for the new year 2021. This piece was printed in many Montana newspapers via the Montana Newspaper Association.
We of Montana Conservation Elders are saddened by the death of one of our charter members, Dale Burk. Dale grew up in the Tobacco Valley. Of modest means, Dale fell in love with the outdoors at an early age, soon thereafter he fell in love with books at the local library, and he became enamored with the English language. Dale loved Montana--its rivers, mountains and wildlife. He was a journalist, author, publisher and an environmentalist. He was Montana's first recipient of a Nieman Fellowship for Professional Journalists at Harvard. Dale was instrumental in the designation of the Great Bear Wilderness and selection of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River for Wild and Scenic River classification. He was inducted into the Montana Hall of Fame in 2018. R.I.P. Dale. Our sympathies to his family. His was a life fully lived.
JULY 20, 2020. SUCCESS! THE MONTANA LAND BOARD UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO APPROVE THE NEW FISHING ACCESS SITE ON THE WEST FORK OF THE BITTERROOT RIVER. Officially named the C. Ben White Memorial Fishing Access Site, this nearly 100 acres of land, river channels and riparian environments, forests offers improved access to the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. Many thanks to our own Dale Burk, the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, the landowner families, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the people of Ravalli County. Please read more details in the Bitterroot Star (www.bitterrootstar.com) or the Missoula Current (www.missoulacurrent.com).
News:
Montana Conservation Elders is saddened by the death of Jim Posewitz, one of our members. Please read the obituary in the July 3 edition the Helena Independent Record (www.helenair.com). Jim was a great man. One of Montana's most notable conservationists whose may achievements have established permanent protection on our public lands.
From The Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance: Blackfeet Tribe Seeks Permanent Protections for Badger-Two Medicine lands.
Please read the June 25 announcement, the press release from the Blackfeet Nation and the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act on the Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance website at: www.glaciertwomedicine.org Defending the Smith River:
Read Jim Posewitz's opinion piece in the June 12 edition of Montana's major newspapers, including the Billings Gazette and the Missoulian.
Please watch this fine video from Randy Newberg featuring Jim Posewitz on the Yellowstone River. Jim led the fight against the proposed Allenspur Dam. This video is on YouTube.
Please take a look at the photos of Montana Conservation Elders attending the memorial celebration of the rich and productive life of Jim Posewitz. This took place at the Kleffner Ranch in East Helena on June 19, 2021.
