Forest planning

The Hungry Horse News got it wrong on April 27, saying Swan View Coalition and others “are withdrawing from the Flathead National Forest’s forest plan revision process.”

Our letter to the Flathead Forest Supervisor made it quite clear that, while we may attend fewer hours of its pseudo-collaborative meetings, we’d continue to provide constructive comments in writing.

The Forest’s contractor, Meridian Institute, has demonstrated it simply can’t be trusted to capture public comments made at the meetings. So we recommend that folks send their comments directly to the Flathead National Forest at addresses it set up for its Forest Plan revision process. The e-mail address is flatheadplanrevision@fs.fed.us and the mailing address is 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell MT 59901.

Folks can read our letter to Flathead National Forest supervisor Chip Weber, detailing how this “collaborative” process has been flawed since issuing the $285,000 contract to Meridian, by visiting our Reports and Documents page at www.swanview.org/home/articles/reports-documents.

Folks can also read there the science-based “Citizen reVision of the Flathead Forest Plan” that we have already submitted to the Forest Service.

Have we withdrawn from the process? Far from it, and we recommend that everyone submit comments to the Flathead National Forest in writing.

Keith J. Hammer

Chairman of the Swan View Coalition

Kalispell