| Yellowstone Bison Slaughter
|
| News
Article 8/02/05 |
 |
| |
|
|
| Governor
in town to talk bison, bathrooms
By David Warner, West Yellowstone News
8/02/05 |
The
town council wanted to talk to the governor about bathrooms
in the new Visitors Center. The governor wanted to come
to town and talk about bison.
It proved to be an easy meeting to set up, according to
town operations manager Fred Rice. A couple phone calls
in each direction, and the chief executive was on a helicopter.
Scwheitzer's chosen topic received most of the meeting's
attention.
"We're going to open the book," the governor
said of the issue, meaning, it is assumed, that his administration
intends to look for alternative methods of handling the
problem.
Schweitzer also insisted several times that the State
of Montana, and specifically the Department of Livestock,
are not the "bad guys;" that the real "judge
and jury" is the federal government's Department
of Agriculture, and its agency APHIS (Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service).
The governor was especially upset with a recent federal
decision to allow Canadian cattle to enter the state with
fewer inspection requirements than are demanded of Montana's
own animals.
Speaking of the planned bison hunt, Schweitzer lamented
that this might put Montana "under the microscope."
He also wondered rhetorically why a similar hunt in Wyoming
received so little national publicity.
Speaking to other topics, the governor promised to visit
with Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis about funding for
bathrooms in the proposed new visitors center.
He agreed that a year 'round airport would be appropriate.
"We want to make the airport available to the "hot
dogs" who are able to fly into Montana anytime they
decide they want to," he said.
And speaking of noxious weeds, Schweitzer agreed with
land owner Pat Povah, that weeds were rampant in Montana.
"This is a war," the governor declared.
Top
of Page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
