Developers and Republicans kill the bill-
Story in New West by. By Courtney Lowery.
It’s hard to find a bright light during the great recession, but if it is killing off the rural sprawl developers who killed the bill, there is at least a bright flicker.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
If the “mainstream” conservation/hunter groups thought that there was a chance they could shoot elk or deer along these rivers, you would see more of an effort and more pressure on our culturally retarded legislators to protect these areas. Too much “no hunting” private property along the rivers.
The 3rd, 4th, 5th, generation Montanans couldn’t care less…the rivers are their local dump sites.
Eventually it will impact the economics of the fly fishing industry when the out of state fisherman decide that floating and fly fishing through neighborhoods isn’t that aesthetically pleasing.
That’s what is happening along the Bitterroot.
This is good news for the outdoors. It is the hard way to do it, but local governments refused to plan, and would never say “no” to sleezy land developers. I hope sales fall so far that remote subdivisions just collapse.
Sales of second homes fall 30 percent. AP