LETTER: Who can we thank for the fire-altered air and landscape?

As we continue to enjoy our sunsets with the blood-orange sun, the obscure views of the moon, the acrid taste of burnt forest, and the choking haze of smoke filled air, let’s be sure to thank all of those “conservation” groups that have vehemently opposed any and all mechanical reduction of forest fuels.

Be sure to include our friends in the Swan, the wilderness groups, Montana’s “True” conservationist (best known for his letters to the editor), and don’t forget our own county commissioners who have chosen not to get involved by not engaging in any meaningful dialogue with the U.S. Forest Service.

As we listen to the mantra of coal-fired electric plants polluting the air, don’t forget to ignore the fouling of our ecosystem with pollution far greater than anything man-made.

Keep in mind that this is just the beginning. The spring run-offs will further pollute the waterways and will damage the fragile nesting areas of the bull trout and the cutthroat trout. I would be curious to see any results of after-action surveys in regards to additional mortality of grizzly bears and lynx as a result of the fires. —Richard Funk, Kalispell