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Letters to the editor April 21

| April 21, 2022 12:00 AM

Plant a tree on Earth Day

Consider planting a tree for Earth Day. Trees are of significance to our personal health and wellbeing, as well as our Planet’s health. Simply put, trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air. Oxygen — that element essential for life. Trees not only support our physical health but also our mental health. Who doesn’t feel better emotionally while walking and recreating among trees, whether we’re sitting under a tree in our backyard or wandering along a trail in the Bob Marshall Wilderness?

Perhaps you have noticed that our trees are disappearing, bit by bit. Or perhaps you haven’t noticed because when they disappear ever so slowly, project by project, we tend not to notice. Just in and near Columbia Falls at least 100 trees have been taken out along Highway 206 as the Department of Transportation and Riverside Construction begin that widening project. No one except the neighbors will notice the disappearance of at least 300 trees to be removed on the MDOT property along Highway 206 to make way for the massive gravel pit required for the project.

A year ago hundreds of trees were taken out in preparation for The Benches subdivision east of the Flathead River. My estimate is that between these two projects in my neighborhood we’ve lost over 1,000 trees, including the birds, small animals, insects and other wildlife that went with them.

On the west side of Columbia Falls, two new subdivisions recently approved are both in wooded areas. Shade trees have been removed in downtown Columbia Falls to make room for development. This is different than managed forests and logging. When trees are removed and the earth is covered with buildings and asphalt, there will never be another tree grown there.

It’s too late to do anything about losing these trees. The best thing we can do is start planting our own trees. If you live in the city, plant a tree, after checking with the city for ordinances, and with UDIG. If you own land outside the city, plant that unused acreage to trees.

And plant native trees. Montana Native Plant Society website has a publication with recommended species for the Flathead Valley. The Center for Native Plants on U.S. 93 carries a wide selection. For large quantities check out the MT DNRC Conservation Seedling Nursery. That’s where my family purchased the 432 seedlings we planted a year ago.

Join us in helping to reforest our landscape. Our health and the health of our Planet depend on us.

— Shirley Folkwein, Columbia Falls

Flathead Warming Center

We, the Executive Board of the Flathead Warming Center, are writing in response to a recent letter to the editor regarding the seasonal closing of the Warming Center. We want the community to know that closing during the summer is part of an intentional and focused philosophy.

Our mission is to save lives through providing overnight shelter throughout our coldest months by providing low-barrier access to shelter and to provide our guests with links to community resources to help them find permanent housing. Providing shelter year-round can be enabling and counterproductive. We all must be uncomfortable to take necessary steps toward changes in our lives. We treat our guests with dignity, love and honesty. Yet, some do not feel the urgency to move forward.

At the shelter we have a 100-night countdown toward the seasonal closing to promote a sense of urgency and with our countdown we partner with our guests in their steps to move beyond homelessness.

Our shelter season concludes at the end of April, but our services do not end then. In our efforts to link community support and services to each of our guests, we will be open through the summer months (Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays 10:30am - 2:00pm), providing individuals and families with access to showers and laundry services and enabling us to continue our relationship with many who struggle in our community. Our open summer hours will enable us to continue to empower those we serve with tools and resources to move beyond homelessness.

We thank the community for their strong support of the Flathead Warming Center and the other ministries that provide help and shelter to those without a home in our community.

— Luke Heffernan, Tonya Horn, Jane Emmert, Shirley Willis, Jerie Betschart, Darrin Andrews, Bethany Johnson, Roger Nasset, Jeffrey Scogin, Steve Snipstead