Bear Creek Council Newsletter - January 2009

[Bear Creek Council]

General Meeting
Tuesday, January 20th, 7-9 p.m.
at Jim Halfpenny's Track Center
Just up the Jardine road on the left
If you wish, bring a snack to share.

President's Message - Carolyn Duckworth

What does Barack Obama have in common with Bear Creek Council? We
are all community organizers. And I believe that he knows of Northern
Plains Resource Council—our “home” organization—because it is one of
the most effective community organizing groups in the country.

As a member of Bear Creek Council, you belong to that strong tradition of
effective community organizing. You not only belong, you are a
community organizer. When I look at who our members are and think
about who has been involved in the past two years, I know that one of
every two Bear Creek members actually gets out in our community and
helps with our work. That’s extraordinary! YOU are amazing.

Thank you for being a community organizer.

And to get ourselves organized for 2009, we will be choosing our top
priorities at the January 20 general meeting. How appropriate that it falls
on the day that a community organizer becomes President of the United
States. Please join in the brainstorming, discussion, and voting that
evening; it’s a great way to welcome in a new era.

Carolyn

AGENDA

The agenda is evolving, and will center on setting our goals for 2009 by choosing 2–4 main issues. Among the ideas being discussed:

• Greening Committee ideas
• Our responsibilities for the solar grant
• Expanding Bear Creek Council north—pros & cons
• Do we continue to work on planning in Park County, and how
• What about bison?
• What about other wildlife? Bear Aware in Gardiner, etc.

NATIONAL TEACH-IN ON GLOBAL WARMING

On February 5, 2009, the National Teach-In on Global Warming will engage over a million Americans in solutions-driven dialogue, including young people, national political leaders, and other key decision-makers. Join in, and make the National Teach-In a day that can transform America, and place clean energy solutions to global warming at the top of the nation's agenda. http://nationalteachin.org/

From the online newsletter of the North American Association for Environmental Education, naaee.org


BISON AND LATE SEASON HUNTS: WHO DO YOU CALL?

If you witness unethical hunting behavior or have any questions at all about the bison and late season elk hunts, who do you call?

For questions on the state or tribal bison hunts: Sam Sheppard, 581-2462 (cell)
For questions about any other hunting in our vicinity: Jim Miller, 223-3918 (cell)


THIS YEAR’S BISON BILL

Bear Creek Council has offered initial support for a bison bill that will be introduced to the Montana legislature soon. Currently, it is listed as LC0128, and you can read the draft online at http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/BillPDF/LC0128.pdf (where you can also read all the other bills).

It seeks to shift bison management in Montana from Department of Livestock to Fish, Wildlife and Parks. It also recognizes bison as valued native wildlife. There’s much more to the act, but these are the most significant and controversial provisions.

Bill sponsor is Dave Wazenried (D), with Mike Phillips (D) and Ted Washburn (R). Natural Resources Defense Council is working on this bill, but the primary proponent of it is Gallatin Wildlife Association. Their leader, Glenn Hockett, said in a recent email:

“Key to this effort is getting concerned people to Helena the day this bill is heard by the House Fish and Game Committee. . . . Personal testimony in support of this legislation from a diversity of interest groups is our achievable goal.”

Bear Creek members who have signed up for the phone tree will be informed when the opportunities arise for calls, emails, and testimony. We will also send emails to the members at large so that everyone has a chance to participate if you wish to.


FAREWELL TO BECCA

Our community organizer from Northern Plains, Becca Hammargren, has left to pursue other goals in her life. We benefited enormously from her efforts on the Park County Growth Policy campaign, and wish her well.


LEGISLATIVE UPDATES FROM JULIA PAGE

For more information, go to http://leg.mt.gov/css/default.asp.

Matt Leow and I are your lobbyists. We track legislation having to do with global warming and renewables, coal bed methane and oil and gas, agriculture, general environmental issues (BER, MEPA, FWP), energy production including coal mining, and election law. Needless to say, that makes for a big list and there are many bills out there that pertain to areas we are interested in. We prioritize our lobbying, but also try to keep track of what is happening in those different areas. In addition, there are bills on bison management, the
wildland-urban interface as it relates to fire …. All sorts of things.

The Northern Plains priority bills are as follows:

1. Energy efficiency in schools, LC 713 – to provide incentive for schools to undertake energy saving upgrades when they renovate. The cost of these upgrades can be paid back quickly by the cost and energy savings. This is also one of three priorities for the Conservation Working Group.

2. Bonding for oil and gas wells, LC 207 – raise bond amounts for individual oil and gas wells and eliminate the statewide blanket bond in order to provide adequate financial assurance to prevent abandoned wells and protect the taxpayer.

3. Produce bill, LC 794 – encourage local food production by increasing the sales limit on produce before a permit is required from $15,000 to $45,000.

4. Small scale biodiesel – revise the permitting requirements for small scale, on farm biodiesel production (under 50,000 gallons per year), to provide for affordable testing and taxing of their product so as to encourage production of a non fossil fuel that can be grown and pressed on the farm.

5. National Animal Identification System (NAIS) – a resolution to encourage making NAIS voluntary in Montana. NAIS would require any farmer or rancher to register their premises if they keep any livestock and to micro-chip or tag their animals and report their movements to the appropriate Federal agency within 24 hours.

6. Big Sky Rivers Act – to protect 10 Montana rivers from buildings placed too close to the water, ie: setbacks. This is a Conservation Working Group bill.

7. Energy Efficiency Standards for Electric and Gas Utilities, LC 1033 – a market-based mechanism to encourage more efficient generation, transmission, and use of electricity and natural gas. A Conservation Working Group priority.

8. No Roll Backs – This is also a priority of the Conservation Working Group. We anticipate attacks on the Montana Environmental Protection Act, the authority or makeup of the Board of Environmental Review, ways to handle coal bed methane water or other nefarious things. We will stay alert for these as they come out.

The Conservation Working Group is made up of conservation groups that have lobbyists in Helena. The groups met throughout the summer and prioritized 3 pro-active bills and then the fourth category of No Roll Backs. That is an important and hazardous category given the make-up of the legislature this year.