Mike Garrity
Viewpoint: Federal court halts illegal logging in endangered grizzly habitat
Mike Garrity writes, "The most recent actual count of grizzlies (published in 2021 for the 2020 monitoring year) for this population is 45 bears. The prior year counted 50 bears, and the year before that counted 54 bears."
Viewpoint: Urge Biden, Congress to ban logging in old growth forests
Mike Garrity writes, "Since we obviously can’t trust the Forest Service to protect our virgin, old growth forests from being ripped apart by bulldozers and clearcuts, the president should instead sign an executive order prohibiting logging of mature and old growth forests."
Viewpoint: What are the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s ethics worth?
Mike Garrity writes, "They say “everyone has their price” and apparently that’s true for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. But the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem belongs to all Americans -- not just organizations that were paid by the government to support deforestation of prime grizzly bear and elk habitat."
Viewpoint: USFS withdraws appeal of logging, road-building project in Ninemile
Mike Garrity writes, "The Forest Service recently dropped its appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which sought to overturn a Montana federal district court’s decision holding that the Forest Service violated multiple laws—as well as its own Forest Plan—in approving the 45,160-acre Soldier-Butler timber sale."
Viewpoint: Groups successfully halt grazing, burning in the Elkhorn Wildlife Management Area
Mike Garrity writes, "As many Montanans know, the Elkhorns contain one of the most sought-after hunting districts in the entire nation. Each year, more than 7,000 hunters put in for the Elkhorn’s 110 coveted elk tags, making the odds of drawing a permit to hunt the area’s trophy bull elk extremely slim."
Viewpoint: Alliance needs your help to fight nuclear reactors in Montana
Mike Garrity writes, "Due to the fact that uranium is mined in other states and must be shipped into Montana, building nuke plants in Montana to replace the old coal-fired generators will impact people and the environment far from our borders."
Viewpoint: Big problems with Montana proposals for small nuclear reactors
Mike Garrity writes, "For the last 44 years a successful Citizens’ Initiative banned nuclear power in Montana unless approved by the voters. But Republican majorities in the 2021 Montana legislature repealed the initiative and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law."
Viewpoint: Big victory for grizzly bears and wild, free-roaming elk
Mike Garrity writes, "Montanans scored a big victory for elk and grizzly bears recently when a federal court found significant problems and halted yet another Forest Service road-building and logging project in the upper Blackfoot River watershed."
Opinion: Montana Wilderness hero Lee Metcalf would despise Tester’s Blackfoot bill
Mike Garrity writes, "Under the rubric of “stewardship,” the bill actually grants both logging and mechanized “wreckreation” interests the right to construct roads and trails within sensitive wildlife areas."
Opinion: Setting the record straight about citizens’ rights
Mike Garrity writes, "If politicians are tired of attorneys getting legal fees for successfully suing the Forest Service for breaking environmental laws then there is a simple way to stop these lawsuits. Demand that the Forest Service quit breaking the law.