Delisting grizzlies will take time

After surviving a close encounter with a large grizzly bear this week, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commissioner Vic Workman said grizzlies need to be delisted so their numbers can be managed by the state through a limited hunt.

He contends that the grizzly population has expanded to a point where they are no longer elusive creatures. Rather, they are showing up in areas where they haven't been for decades, resulting in a growing number of bear-human conflicts.

Workman might be right. But delisting certainly isn't going to happen anytime soon. The procedural machinery behind the Endangered Species Act is complicated and cumbersome. As a basic prerequisite for delisting, for example, the feds will require the completion of an ongoing population trend study and that's expected to take several years.

Bottom line: Don't hold your breath for delisting grizzly bears.

Speaking of Grizzlies (the college football kind), we should take a moment here to praise the UM Griz and lament their early departure from the playoffs.

Praise is due for an undefeated regular season and another Big Sky Conference championship. But the hearts of fans in Griz Nation were broken when a last-minute field goal went slightly awry on Saturday and gave Wofford a one-point win over the Griz in the opening round of the playoffs.

In the end, an unstoppable Terriers running attack and the vagaries of the kicking game caused an abrupt end to a promising season for UM. It also brought an end to the college careers of some fine players, including seniors Lex Hilliard and Brandon Dwyer of Kalispell, who have been a credit to their team and their community.

The death of former Lt. Gov. Karl Ohs should give us all pause to reflect on the value of a life lived well.

Ohs made his name as a public servant, first in the Legislature, where he served three terms, then as lieutenant governor in the Martz administration.

He also showed his mettle in 1996 when he helped negotiate a settlement between the FBI and the Freemen militia members who were holed up in an armed compound near Jordan, Mont. Ohs made 19 trips into the compound by horseback during the standoff, which lasted several months.

In addition to his dedication to his family, his dedication to public service gave the rest of us a fine example of what Montana is all about.