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if their mine goes active, it will dump millions of gallons of contaminants into the Clark Fork River on the MT side...Idaho is taking legal action to try to prevent it.
I don't believe we have as big a problem such as Lake CDA, and you are correct, the Rock Creek mine is not yet in operation, or for that matter approved, however mining has been going on in the region for hundreds of years. Copper mines in Butte, Mont. were apparently the biggest offenders. A lot of that contaminated runoff ran into the Clark Fork watershed which eventually dumps into Lake Pend Oreille. There are several Superfund sites in the Clark Fork Watershed.
Yes, I had read about the Clark Fork watershed, but I don't remember seeing supefund sites listed, i will have to recheck that. i have been using this site called scorcard.org to research areas, but I think it needs to be updated.
Do you have any suggestions for helpful sites to research environmental stats on areas?
if their mine goes active, it will dump millions of gallons of contaminants into the Clark Fork River on the MT side...Idaho is taking legal action to try to prevent it.
I can't wait to help in whatever way I can...if there is anything I can do from here until I get up there, I would be happy to help in any way. I am pretty handy in researching and digging (people places or whatever). I love it!
This is the Inventor himself, Dwight Finney. For those of you not really knowing on the real situation here. I gave to presentations to a packed house over 300 people 3 times!! Where were you?
Just so we all are clear here....
1. YOU CANNOT Kill the Milfoil in the lake.
2. This problem cannot be controlled until Hyper-nutrification is stopped. That is, No more leech fields, Ceptic tanks ect... Thats NEVER going to happen..
So what we are left with is the 3rd largest body of fresh water west of the Mississippi, that was treated by a company that has treated small ponds before, but collectively didnt equal 1/4 the size of our lake. They have zero track record.
My invention, a "flying" harvester, is sensitive to the lake bottom enviroment. you have to change your view on Native and Non native Milfoil. It is fully intergrated into our lake systems. My idea was to treat the issue like a crop. The milfoil is managed through reclaimation NOT DREDGE HARVESTING! Dredge harvesting stirs up the polluted bottom sediment. With an Aquafoil we have a renewable resource that enviormently friendly to our lake, and our water supply.
Things I have made with the Milfoil
Methane
Ethanol
Powdered organic soil booster
Animal feed
Ice cream base
Bio-diesel ( with the ethanol made into methylethel alcohol
It was status quo as usual. Dont elect the Bum Anderson EVER back into a political position. He does not have our best intrests in mind.
Dwight Finney [MOD CUT]
Last edited by Sage of Sagle; 04-02-2008 at 10:55 PM..
Reason: Website link to business is not allowed
As for a previous comment made about coming into the area and crusading to stop logging, hunting, etc., I agree. You don't move into someone elses's home and tell them how to keep house. EVER. It's arrogant and rude. Surprisingly, this is what so many people do.
If a person moves to another state/city, they should be willing to adapt to that state's/city's way of life, not bring their own and try to change things so they're just like the place they just left. What's the point in moving then? If you don't like the way of life in a certain location, don't move there.
Location: In the North Idaho woods, still surrounded by terriers
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No one wants chemical warfare in any instance as far as I know. For me it's gophers...I have tried every humane and non-poison way to eradicate them from my vegetable gardens but NOTHING worked...I had to resort to poisons. I would assume it's the same with the lake and the milfoil. Our local lakes in AZ also have to be constantly tended to due to invasive weeds and grasses. I think if the chemicals used are being used with knowledge and care, as a prior poster wrote, and if they do the job, then it's a better choice than allowing the milfoil to consume the lake and kill off the native fish and plants. Then again, I don't live in Sandpoint...yet...so I suppose my .02 cents is not warranted.
A statement I frequently read on blogs and letters to the editor were echoed by your comments, "If a person moves to another state/city, they should be willing to adapt to that state's/city's way of life, not bring their own and try to change things so they're just like the place they just left." I respectfully disagree. Allow me to explain my POV.
I think very, very few people move to an area with a grand design to change things. People move for a variety of reasons, not all of them within one's control. First and foremost, they need to take care of their own family's needs and second attend to their own. If strong and stable enough, only then they can afford to and should they give of themselves to the community. The key words are "needs" and "enough." No community ought to get in the way of a family's strive to survive. Those that do should be careful.
I have lived in several states and countries. Each time I "bring my own." While respectful of local laws and customs, I make sure that my own sense of identity, morals and ethics either remain intact or are enhanced by the experience. In those experiences, I would like to think that my character represented the best qualities of America and of my family name and of the philosophy of life I try hard to uphold.
When arriving, I try hard to keep my mouth closed and ears open. One learns a heck of a lot listening and observing. But during that adjustment process, it is almost always the case that one observes a dynamic society, a community that always has some part in motion or in flux.
By mixing with that community, I will change it just by my presence and the difference of my background. I once had a principal friend of mine have nasty hearsay articles written about him before his first day on the job at a new school!! I guess his hiring changed the political dynamic and shifted the balance of power before his physical being arrived. It had nothing to do with his policies/views per se. To this day, the job he did at that school was phenomenal, until he himeself got pushed out by some internal power play. That he changed things the way he did ought to be lauded not denigrated.
So after a reasonable time for adjustment (which varies greatly) I proceed to do my best in life. Sometimes, that means a direct criticism of soemone more senior on the local scene. Suffice to say, 'tis my job to analyse and critique constructively. And in participating with my family and my neighbors I will always try to uphold what is right by me and my philosophy/beliefs all the while with utmost determination to be open-minded and sensitivity. Try us the key word. To leave things perfectly alone assumes that the prior equlibrium was perfect with and without our presence. Quite frankly, such a place does not exist on this green earth. And as my friend discovered, soem places require agents of change to emerge from years of inbred self-destruction.
So far in my life, the feathers I ruffled were necessarily ruffled. They were obstacles in the path toward better living for my family and all those in the community I came to care about. And yes, I would like to think that I left each place a little better off. And I wuold hope that even those opposed to my actions were respectful enough to agree to disagree.
While this is my POV, I would like to also add that there are many examples I have witnessed in places like SP where I can understand the ire of long time locals, mainly becuase it angers me as well. The culprits are almost always of the type who feel it is their mission to "save" the less fortunate, to "educate" the "backward," or to show in no uncertain terms their material advantage over the average joe.
These types are best ignored as they feed off of attention. The more flashy need only be put in their place once, to have the bubble of their illusion publically popped to crawl back into their shell (and with hope emerge as either a better person or a person in someone's else's community).
Therefore, I feel it not the change that is the issue per se, but the nature of the change and/or the agent of that change that deserves a neighborly rebuke.
So when some young rich out-of-town princess starts talking in a loud of voice to garner the attention of all, you might try a motherly/fatherly response that can put her in her place. It would be welcomed by just about all. However, when someone is sincere in their efforts to offer their expertise on a solution to resolve things for the better, try instead to step back and listen...let his/her logic be the final arbiter of his commitment to the community.
After reading your post, I think you are restating what we mostly "all" agree on. I believe that we all have a right and indeed proactive duty to be guided by our conscience while mindful of those around us.
What I believe was being discussed though is exactly what you have alluded to...the "newcomer impressed by their own presence here" clamoring for paved streets, 24/7 fire protection, a new sports complex, hourly plowed roads, all at the cost of high taxes.
So while I agree with your post, I actually think that the prior poster ALSO is in full agreement with you...fitting in does not mean abasing yourself to the locals...but neither does it mean offending them carte blanche...
What I believe was being discussed though is exactly what you have alluded to...the "newcomer impressed by their own presence here" clamoring for paved streets, 24/7 fire protection, a new sports complex, hourly plowed roads, all at the cost of high taxes.
>>I guess I see I have read enough posts in various blogs and letters to the editor to have had my fill of "Come here only if you don;t change things." That "here" can not only be city or state or country, but company, club, etc.
>>When I read such comments, I think it amounts to engendering a feeling of sel-censorship, something I am strongly against. I would rather we live in an open socity where people are encouraged to let their views be known rather than a society where the public demeanor is civil but behind the scenes there is a culture of whispers, rumours, and innuendo.
There are many, many issues that we face as we grow and change. Some new issues will be raised by long-time residents, some by recent immigrants and some by the brand newbies. What I would like to see is the issues debated on their merits without for once reading of allusions to challenging the speakers' credentials. Logic should always prevail.
The list of items above offer a test run for me.
Paved Streets? By this I will expand to streets and sidewalks. Paved Strets in the rural areas make little sense given Mother Nature and the sparseness of use. Paved Sidewalks? Well, there are lawsuits to consider and the elderly and handicapped. I am neither, but I can picture someone raising such concerns. In walking about town, I can see why some streets should have paved sidewalks and why for other streets they would be a waste. A common sense rule would make the most sense. How about paved sidewalks in the downtown core on the main arteries and a declining subsidy as we get further out of the core? And while one can make an argument that taxes for the core maintenance should be a concern for all SP residents who should want a healthy downtown, once we get more peripheral, the burden should be borne by the individual.
This raises the question of whether at some point, Sagle and Sandpoint will split, something that seems natural on a geographical level. If our futures are divergent, then taxation may not feel as if they come with representation.
Would my POV seems as if I am trying to change things?? Why should that matter when I am only offering my opinion? So you know, as for our existence here, I think the sidewalks and streets seem fine the way they are. But that POV may differ down the road...
24/7 Fire Protection. I will admit upfront that I don't know anything about the fire protection business. I would imagine it is very expensive and very difficult to offer any uniform coverage in such a varied topographical area as ours. Any Clintonesque universal coverage would be not only unbelievably expensive but unrealisitc.
For other fire matters, if I had to vote on matters, I would consult a friend in Seattle who is a long-time fireman. I trust his judgement. Again, no need to make this an insider/outsider issue...
A new sports complex. Up front, I love sports and want my little kids to love sports. Winters can get long and going outside is not always sensible, feasible or enjoyable. Key is "not always." A gym membership is something I had been thinking about. Should there be a public sports complex? Geez, I would have to see the project's forecasted budget, tax impact report, and usage, etc. Even if I loved it to death for us, but usage is expected to be for but a few people, then there is little public about it. I doubt it would make fiscal sense nor be broadly attractive to all SP residents. I would rather SP put its money to more running/biking paths, more efforts to ensure safe outdoor skating, more cross country trails, more hiking routes, and another park. Cheaper, more widely accessible, and very "green." If the people really want a gym, they can pay for a membership at an existing or future gym. My opinions aside, I liked the idea of thinking of one and don't fault the originator of the idea.
Hourly Plowed Roads. LOL!! That would be a piece of work!! Utopian.
Over the past couple of years, Sagle Sam, there are few issues on which we seem to disagree--if any. My posst was simply borne out of need to avoid self-censorship. It prevents rational discourse from its process of testing and retesting issues. Worst, it prevents us from learning about own selves and what one should think about their community.
My guess is that over the next twenty years, as my kids grow up, I will support a number of causes brought by newbies. Their proposals will range from brilliant to outlandish--the same range of ideas from old-timers. Some will result in higher taxes but with disproportionate and widespread returns. Those are the ones I will tend to enjoy considering, even as the expense of "changing SP" since in my eyes, SP has always been changing. To others that are narrow, I doubt I would support the proposal, unless I felt it of vital importance. If such an issue comes from a gold-chained wearing NY City transplant new to SP via Las Vegas and his proposal makes sense for SP, I would like to think that I and others should be free to side with the changeling without having my community loyalty challenged.
Best, S
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A Different Perspective
