Dear Editor,
As more information has come to light through the efforts of Save Holland Lake, a few key pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place. I’ve been pondering why the Flathead National Forest (FNF) would push such a widely unpopular expansion project. Now, after reading recent publications, I have a few ideas of why.
FNF gets to unload a failing septic treatment system into private hands. Essentially flushing the decades of regulatory failure down the toilet without the public realizing a thing, until now. It seems to me they failed the public and their own organization by not adhering to the protocols they themselves designed to keep our public land safe.
As the public at large, we created the FS to care for and preserve our common lands and serve those who use and enjoy them. The USFS is funded through our taxes to manage our resources in the public interest. The public owns the land the FS oversees, and, without that land, there is no FS.
USFS is similar to any other public institution in that the public needs them to be impartial in their dealings with public land. We expect them to side with science and morality over greed and exploitation. If there is an issue of being too close to any side of a decision, we expect the person to recuse themselves, or, at best, reveal their thoughts and processes in making a decision. The idea and perception of impartiality is essential for public trust in our officials.
We deserve better, our environment deserves better and the faithful and forthright employees of the FS don’t deserve to have their institution run into the ground by a few bad apples.
The documents and emails recently released in the Freedom of Information Act section of savehollandlake.com show clearly that at least a few officials are willing to give moneyed interests whatever they desire. Five free acres of public land added to the permit? Sure, let’s see how we can sneak that in. Disregarding decades of habitat and animal research? Why not, it’s only a few endangered species. Polluted water? That’s a small and easily hidden detail.
The simple fact is the FNF, by the actions of a few employees, has consistently ignored its own policies to deliver what POWDR has asked for. FNF limited our speaking time at public meetings and refused to answer questions that we now know they had the answers to. Meanwhile, these officials we pay have consistently been in direct contact with POWDR, providing to the giant ski corporation anything it needed, with no hesitation. The public has had to use FOIA requests to access information that should be public record – and now we know why.
If you want evidence, it’s all right there on the website. Through internal emails they describe how rules can be bent or manipulated. How the sins of the past can be ignored and washed away into the lake. Their disregard for the animals and places in their keep could not be more obvious. It seems apparent that if the Forest Service follows its own rules and regulations, this expansion project cannot be approved.
Why is it so hard for the public to get information about public land from public officials? Why did an expansion plan with so many inaccuracies get so far? And how quickly would have the expansion been pushed through with a categorical exclusion if Montanans wouldn’t have caught on?
Let’s hope FNF listens to their own experts and saves
Holland Lake from the exploitation that has changed so much of Montana.
Travis Cole,
Missoula, MT
Dear Editor,
What does it mean to love the Swan Valley?
Early last summer a Swan Valley resident complained to me about how much traffic there now is on HWY 83 and how much time it takes just to drive to the local grocery.
In midsummer an unhelmeted motorcyclist hit a bear as it was crossing Hwy 83. The motorcyclist died and the bear was shot due to the severity of its injuries. How often have I heard people say how much they love the Swan?
The most lovable aspect or characteristic of the Swan Valley to our family is its quiet solitude.
Thinning and logging leases can bring economic benefits to the Valley and minimize the climate disasters which impact the Swan’s beauty and ecosystem.
The proposed Holland Lake Expansion and more recreational congestion will not.
Sincerely,
Diann Ericson and Mike Childs,
Condon, MT
Dear Editor,
Utah-based POWDR Corp. is in the process of purchasing Holland Lake Lodge, a Forest Service-permitted lodge in the Swan Valley, MT. After two years of preparation, Holland Lake Lodge (HLL) and POWDR submitted in April 2022 a joint proposal to the Flathead National Forest (FNF) to greatly expand the lodge footprint and triple the lodge’s capacity. The FNF announced the project to the public in September and held a public scoping meeting on October 4, 2022, in Seeley Lake, MT.
To assuage growing public opposition to the project, POWDR’s VP of Communications, Stacey Hutchinson, claimed, “Our values are not California or New York. We’re from Utah. Our values align very closely with the values you have here in Montana.”
What are the values to which Ms. Hutchinson referred? An internet search of Utah values yielded diverse values that were politically or religiously tainted. So, I submitted two requests
to POWDR for clarification and received no responses. Therefore, I’ll take a stab at it.
I grew up in Pennsylvania, moved to Montana in 1976, with brief stints in South Dakota, New York, and Wyoming. Fundamental values instilled in me were honesty, integrity, forthrightness, responsibility, respect, compassion, and the Golden Rule. Personal experiences added a strong conservation ethic and love of the outdoors. These values are held by people, regardless of state.
So, what was your point, Ms. Hutchinson?
For two years, POWDR failed to engage the local community, or learn about the ecological and cultural significance of the Swan watershed and the enormous conservation investment therein. POWDR included false information in its proposal, pressured FNF to shorten the public comment period and skirt a full environmental review.
POWDR’s corporate values do not align with the values of Montanans and Utahans, rather their corporate values are the anthesis.
Sincerely,
Pete Feigley
Seeley Lake, MT
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