Donation to help protect our kids
Did you read the good news on the front page today? Whitefish philanthropist Mike Goguen has stepped forward with a big donation to support a local cause.
Goguen has committed $2 million to the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force over the next five years to fund three full-time officers — including one in Flathead County — as well as additional training and technology.
This isn’t the first time Goguen — a noted venture capitalist with investments in Google, Apple and other high-tech companies — has helped out with local causes. He has donated $11 million to fund Two Bear Air — a nonprofit aerial rescue organization, and last year, he donated $500,000 to complete a fundraising campaign for a new North Valley Food Bank in Whitefish. He previously donated $3 million to the Whitefish Trail project.
The current donation gives Goguen a chance to fight against the dark side of technology. The task force is a statewide coalition of law enforcement officers at all levels working together to investigate and combat the exploitation of children on the Internet.
C-Falls takes important step
We’re pleased to see the Columbia Falls community investing in its students through a new academic endowment effort that will bridge funding gaps in the school district.
The Columbia Falls High School Alumni/Community Academic Endowment will raise money for things such as a pottery kiln, musical instruments, lab and technology upgrades. This endowment will complement the school district’s existing athletic endowment and provide broader opportunities in the school’s academic arena.
Investing in our youth is always a good idea. To donate, go online to columbiahs.sharpschool.net/alumni_fund or mail donations to CFHS Academic and Alumni Fund, P.O. Box 1259, Columbia Falls, MT 59912.
Chickens, grizzlies don’t mix
It has to be discouraging to spend years working with the public on ways to prevent conflicts between grizzly bears and humans, then to have a new source of widespread conflicts arise.
And that new source is — hobby chicken farmers!
State, federal and tribal bear managers have made huge strides in educating people about the perils of leaving out garbage, bird feeders, livestock and pet feed, and other potential attractants for bears. And they’ve repeatedly demonstrated how one bad resident who doesn’t make the effort to secure attractants effectively can train a bear to become a problem for nearby residents.
Well, bear managers have been reporting they have been dealing with not just a few, but many hobby chicken farmers that do not make the effort to secure their birds with electric fencing.
Bears are a part of our landscape, and Montanans should do everything they can to prevent bear conflicts.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.