Laying down the law in Whitefish
Whitefish has worked hard to build a reputation as a resort town where both locals and visitors can come together for a good time. But it's becoming increasingly difficult for downtown merchants to provide the ambiance of a comfortable, hospitable atmosphere in light of an alarming upswing in vandalism to downtown amenities.
Broken store windows, stolen flower pots and benches, damaged signs and vehicles, egging and paintballing are now common occurrences, and a rowdy bar crowd is largely to blame, officials say. With law-enforcement officers stretched thin, merchants may have to take matters into their own hands by hiring security guards or sending out volunteers to keep an eye on storefronts.
To combat vandalism, bar owners need to make sure their employees are aware of what's going on with their patrons, and bar patrons need to take personal responsibility, too. The ambiance of downtown Whitefish won't be the same if store owners have to bar their windows and remove everything that's not nailed down.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission this week upheld a decision to establish a 10-acre public fishing area and boat launch on Lake Five near Coram.
Property owners around the lake had objected strenuously, but expecting to maintain the lake as a private resort when it is indisputably a public resource is unrealistic. The property owners think the current access opportunities - mostly through a private marina for a fee - is adequate. We don't think so, and neither does the state, which has long identified Lake Five as a public place with a serious access deficit.
The property owners are worried about noise, boating safety and general troublemaking. Well, those are appropriate concerns that other people have to live with when they live on state waters. They have to rely on law enforcement, and so will the residents on Lake Five.
How do you take care of the hundreds of deer killed by vehicles on Montana highways?
The state is taking a different approach by composting deer carcasses. In a year, the state composted more than 500 deer at a small facility near Victor.
The compost option came up as a solution to Bitterroot Valley roadkill problems. Hauling the dead deer (as many as 14 a day) to the landfill was getting expensive, and residential growth left fewer and fewer places to cart carcasses inconspicuously into the woods.
Success with the pilot project may mean the state will expand its deer composting to other sites in Montana.
Composting is a novel way to deal with a solid-waste problem that's not unique to the Bitterroot. Last year, for example, the Flathead County landfill buried 108 tons of dead animals.