Reflecting on the FWP Bison Meeting

Dear Editor,

After reflecting a bit on the recent meeting hosted by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, I thought I would add my three cents of comments to the three minutes allowed by the FWP to the speakers. Here however, you have the choice to quit reading after three minutes if you wish.

The Format: The Department of FWP insulated themselves quite safely from any exposure, explanations, clarification, justification, or embarrassment, by allowing comments only and not taking nor responding to any questions from the public. They were quite firm and stoic on this point.

"Ask me no questions I'll tell you no lies."

The Speakers: Thank you all for your participation. The Public Forum is a treasured heritage and a sacred American right. Virtually all of the speakers made clear, concise, informed and valid points. You spoke from positions of knowledge, research, experience, and passion.

The Game: I think it may be safe to say that virtually every one of us that lives in this area went into that forum with at least some measure of suspicion, distrust, and skepticism. And I believe it safe to say that for most of us, our fears, skepticism and distrust were tried and proven.

So looking over the four "Alternatives being analyzed in the draft EIS" here's my take.

Alternative One: "Hey!" they are thinking, "We're going to Malta. Everyone up there will jump on this one. So let's throw Alternative One out as a bone for those shadpokes to chew on.”

Alternative Two: It's already a done deal. Landowners who "willingly" want bison on their lands probably already have them. Alternative Two is a smoke screen .

Alternative Three: Same deal. "Tribal Lands", i.e. reservations that want bison already have them.

The klinker in 'alternatives 2 & 3' is the "publicly managed” statement. Who is the "Public" that is going to 'Manage these herds?

County Commissioners? Grazing districts? The governor? The school board?

And most of us have had very firm and meaningful lessons on how well outside "governing agencies" fare on our Indian Reservations.

Alternative Four: The Unmentionable Names Alternative.

We all know what we're talking about here. "A Publicly Managed" (read "BLM, CMR, FWP") "on a Large Landscape" (read "APR").

A pretty thin wash I would say.

My opinion: The buffalo have landed: the future is here.

But what most deeply disturbed me on a very visceral level during...and after ...the whole affair; the weapons in our Malta High School auditorium.

Guns were uncalled for, totally inappropriate, disrespectful, and demonstrated to me the extent of intimidation the FWP will go to based on their core fear of what the American publics' reactions may be to their proposals and policies. Did they give guns any forethought you might ask? Of course they did. We, the public had a notice on the sign-in desk before we went in: "NO GUNS ALLOWED."

Personally, it didn't sit well with me.

Respectfully,

0l' Doc Curtis

Malta