Like many Montanans, I use the river as a salve – a cure-all balm for anything that ails me. It’s a place where I can recharge after work, reconnect with friends, or find quiet solitude. Its where I go with my family to fish and to paddle, to camp and to explore. And, on this Earth Day, I’m planning to go to the river for an entirely new reason: I’m going to test it for … [Read more...] about Opinion: Plastic pollutes our world, but that can change

Bicycling is a big deal in Missoula. The city boasts, “With over 22 miles of off-street trails and 40 miles of on-street bike lanes, Missoula is a great place to ride ... (and) the League of American Bicyclists has designated the city a Gold level Bicycle Friendly Community.” There are certainly outspoken fiscal detractors, but with the addition of the Reserve Street … [Read more...] about Harmon’s Histories: Bicycle from Missoula to Hamilton? You should’ve tried it 120 years ago

As the new executive director at the Missoula Urban Demonstration (MUD) Project, Earth Day has had me thinking a lot about "sustainability" and what concrete steps we need to take within our homes and communities to make a livable future possible. Until I had a daughter, debates about sustainability seemed arcane. Now, the whole issue has taken on a new urgency and … [Read more...] about Sustainable Missoula: This Earth Day, consider simple, non-techno solutions for ‘livability’

Polls consistently show that Montanans support public lands and access to them. And yet the 2019 Montana Legislature consistently opposed bills to improve access and supported bills that reduce it. Of the four bills that would have improved access, three died.  Meanwhile, the anti-access bills, HB 550 and HB 265, garnered more support. Luckily, HB 550 died on the Senate … [Read more...] about Montana Wildlife Federation: Legislature missed chance to improve public access

As much a problem as he is, and as much as I oppose him, I am not politically fixated on Donald Trump.  I seldom write about him.  But I am becoming increasingly worried about the impact of his totally erratic operating style. Just after President Trump’s inauguration, I wrote a column in which I lamented that the president had surrounded himself with enablers, not … [Read more...] about Evan Barrett: Erratic Trump poorly served by staff of enablers