Conservation groups oppose large clear cuts proposed near Bigfork

Two conservation groups have taken issue with large clear-cut openings that have been proposed by Flathead National Forest officials as part of a sprawling forest management project in the Crane Mountain area near Bigfork.

Friends of the Wild Swan and the Swan View Coalition said in a joint statement Wednesday that four clear cuts proposed within the Bug Creek Integrated Resource Management Project are much larger than what the revised Flathead National Forest Plan recommends for such projects...