LETTER: Last chance to comment on forest plan

This month, the Flathead National Forest, which administers most of the public forest lands right around the Flathead Valley, is finalizing a blueprint for managing these lands for the next two decades. Reading the draft forest service plans is tough going. The result however will affect each person in the Flathead directly in the ways they can enjoy our neighboring lands, and also to the extent that the plans preserve the natural values that will attract visitors and new residents in the future. I personally support protecting the existing wild country in the Swan Range. We need to remind ourselves how rare and wonderful is the ability to go hiking completely alone in beautiful mountains that are literally minutes from town. We all care about our neighboring wild lands, and we have until Oct. 3rd to share with the Forest Service what is important to us. I would urge everyone to take a minute and do so at the Forest Service website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/ project/?project=46286 —Jim Rafferty, Kalispell