Bitterroot group calls for giving wildfires less fuel

By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian (repost of article)

CONNER - Tom and Charlotte Robak have always considered themselves environmentalists.

It was their love of everything wild that brought them to Montana in the first place a decade ago. Along the West Fork of the Bitterroot, the couple found a stunning landscape complete with clean water, fresh air and abundant wildlife. The long warm days of summer seemed almost perfect.

That all changed in 2000 - the year that hundreds of thousands of acres of forest lands went up in smoke in the Bitterroot. Along with hundreds of others, the Robaks were evacuated from their home. When they prepared to move downstream that same summer, they found a firefighter camp set up on their front pasture. Since then, the Robaks - along with everyone else in western Montana - have lived with wildfire smoke for weeks on end through the summer months. Now they want their summers back. The couple believes that Montana's "silent majority" wants that, too.

On Sunday, Nov. 4, the Robaks are hoping people will turn out by the hundreds at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds' First Interstate Building in Hamilton to take part in a 4 p.m. rally being hosted by the new Big Sky Coalition: Environmentalists with Common Sense.

Their intent is to create a groundswell of common folk interested in pushing for changes in the way national forest lands are managed. "I believe we're at a tipping point right now," Tom Robak said. "People want something different. They want some management for our forests."

The idea for the new coalition followed discussions with the Bitterroot National Forest, retired foresters and members of the Bitterroot Valley community. U.S. Forest Service officials told Robak the agency would like to do more fuel reduction work and timber harvests, but challenges from some environmental groups have tied their hands through administrative appeals and court challenges.

"I believe the silent majority of people living here don't want a few small environmental groups to run forest management policy any more," Robak said. "I believe people are looking for some common sense."

The Robaks learned quickly that many people in the valley were on the same page. In a short time, 15 people stepped forward to serve on the coalition's steering committee. They raised $6,000 to advertise the upcoming rally and developed a mission statement. That statement reads: "Big Sky Coalition represents a diverse group of Montanans who believe that current forest management policies are resulting in annual catastrophic fires. These fires present a negative impact on the health and economic interest of Montana citizens.

"Representing what we believe to be a silent majority of Montanans with common sense, we hope to become a unified voice of reason that will provide a more balanced approach to environmental issues. ... Our mission is to work with federal and state agencies to bring about changes in the current fire management program."

Rosie Huckstadt and her husband, Gene, were among those who stepped forward. Since the early 1990s, the couple has worked with others in Darby to revitalize the town into a tourist stop for visitors traveling between Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. "People worked from one end of town to the other to transform this into a town with a Western theme," she said.

"People care about this place and they worked hard to make it happen." But since 2000, the pall of wildfire smoke that fills the Bitterroot Valley every summer has hurt tourism. "We've had seven summers filled with gray skies of smoke. People come here because they want to see our beautiful valley and go up in the mountains," Huckstadt said. "They don't want us to have to tell them there really are beautiful mountains there behind the smoke. They want to see it for themselves." There's been an impact. Some Darby business owners have closed their doors.

"After all that hard work - thousands and thousands of hours of it - it's really sad to see that happen ... especially since I believe this was man-caused," she said. "I believe it's important that we allow our forests to be managed."

Huckstadt hopes that people who feel the same way will step forward and be counted. "We're hoping that the people who've been silent for so long will come forward and speak up," she said. "We hope the politicians will listen."

On the state level, Sen. Rick Laible, R-Darby, said politicians are already on board.

Last session, Laible introduced legislation requiring the state to support sustainable forest management practices on all forest lands, including those managed by the Forest Service. Senate Bill 293 also opened the door for the state to intervene on litigation or appeals that challenge federal forest management projects. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

"People want to complain about the Forest Service, but they are doing the best they can with the resources they have," Laible said. "Almost every time they try to do something, they get sued." Laible said there has to be balance in the management of national forests. "The days of the clearcuts are gone," he said. "It is time for forest management to return."

While most Montanans want national forest lands to be managed, Laible said many people have simply given up because they believe their voices won't be heard by the federal government. "I believe the silent majority isn't being heard," he said. "It's not organized. This is an opportunity for people to step forward and be heard. I'm not sure where this is going to go, but it's a start."

Retired national forest supervisor Sonny LaSalle will moderate the discussion. While he's hopeful a crowd will fill the fairground's facility, he is also a bit skeptical. "It's hard to get people in the Bitterroot excited about doing something," LaSalle said.

When the 2000 fires were burning, LaSalle helped with a program that offered residents information about how to fireproof their homes. The farther away he got from the flames, the smaller the crowds became.

It's been weeks now since smoke filled the valley, and he wonders how long those collective memories last.

"Our objective is to try to convert the silent majority into the vocal majority," LaSalle said. "I know there's a general disbelief in the federal government. People don't know if they can have an effect.

"There are people out there who say there's no use saying anything or doing anything, because nothing is going to change. If people don't make sure their voices are heard, then they're right. Nothing will change."

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