Hunters scope out changes in '06

If you have ever wondered whether hunters care about the way Montana's wildlife is managed, then pop into this Saturday's hearing on regulations for the next hunting season.

Held every year in Kalispell, the hearing typically draws hundreds of hunters, and they usually have plenty to say about even the slightest of regulation changes. While one might expect that hunters would constantly press for more liberal hunting opportunities, that's not the case; most often they push for careful, conservative management of wildlife.

This remarkable interest group has been a valuable sounding board for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials, who have rightfully shown considerable deference to the opinions expressed at past hearings.

The hearing starts at 9 a.m. at the WestCoast Hotel at Kalispell Center Mall.

Whitefish has once again benefited from the generosity of its affluent citizens, this time in the form of a half-million dollar donation to North Valley Hospital from Halliburton Chief Executive Officer Dave Lesar.

The money is a wonderful shot in the arm for the hospital's capital campaign for a new hospital campus just south of Whitefish.

Lesar, who succeeded Vice President Dick Cheney at the helm of Halliburton, and his family split their time between Houston and Whitefish. He noted that "a town like Whitefish deserves an excellent hospital."

It's such benevolence that has made Whitefish a jewel of Northwestern Montana.

Kudos to Big Mountain businesses and the Dire Wolf restaurant nearby.

They scored the first 100-percent success during any round of local compliance tests to see if bars or stores would sell alcohol to underage buyers.

It is the first time the resort area has been tested by the countywide Alcohol Enforcement Team. Officers from local law-enforcement agencies visit restaurants, bars, and stores - uninvited and unannounced. They send in underage "customers" who use real identification that displays their real birth dates. The customers attempt to buy alcohol. If they succeed, the business fails the test. The bartender or clerk is personally charged with a misdemeanor and the business gets a finger-wagging from the state Department of Revenue, which has the power to pull a liquor license from a business that racks up enough violations.

Last weekend, four businesses on the mountain properly requested identification and refused to sell to the underage buyers. So did the Dire Wolf.

Enforcement team leader Travis Bruyer said the businesses have done a good job training employees on alcohol laws. The results also suggest that the compliance tests may be having the intended effect - increasing awareness of the law and making sure it is followed.