Note: The following article by Patrick Barkey and Todd Morgan originally appeared in Montana Business Quarterly, a publication of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana. Depression era bank robber Willie Sutton’s reasoning for why he robbed banks was summed up in a famous quote, “Because that’s where the money is.” The same…
Capt. William E. Simpson II – USMM Ret. contributed the following opinion article to Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities. An open letter to the officials and legislators of all western states and counties: By way of an explanation for my persistence in this matter aside from the health, safety and welfare issues related to the exigent…
The Forest Service is seeking public comments as it works to modernize its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations for the first time in a quarter century. Here’s your chance to help reduce the “analysis paralysis” that keeps more work from being done on our national forests. Current NEPA guidelines have been in place during an era in which…
Colorado takes the stage in the next episode of the new national TV series, America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell. The series explores challenges, opportunities and innovations happening in America’s forests, and the Colorado episode will air on Rocky Mountain PBS on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. MST. Chuck Leavell may be best known as…
Capt. William E. Simpson II – USMM Ret. contributed the following opinion article to Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities. First and most importantly; there is nothing normal or natural about catastrophic wildfire. Catastrophic wildfire is man-caused and the genesis of these man-caused disasters are the responsibility of a minority of environmentalists and so-called scientists who I term…
Last summer’s Chetco Bar Fire ignited on a snag-filled burn scar within the Kalmiopsis wilderness, sending flaming logs and brush through the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and down toward the Chetco River, spreading into a 191,000-acre fire that destroyed homes and threatened many more in Brookings. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has just announced a salvage…
Wildfire smoke impacted Idaho’s air quality significantly in 2017. Wildfires burned on over 5 million acres in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and British Columbia Canada combined. Over 700,000 acres were affected by wildfire in Idaho this year. This report presents estimates of the emissions from Idaho fires only. Idaho wildfires in 2017 released over 111,000…
By: William E. Simpson II Recently an opinion article was published in the Medford Mail Tribune titled ‘All the king’s horses can’t make wildfires go away’, by Dennis Odion, Dominick DellaSala & Dominic DiPaolo; hereinafter referred-to as ‘ODD’). From my perspective as well as those of their many critics, they seem to prefer to let our forests burn and in doing…
Capt. William E. Simpson II – USMM Ret. contributed the following opinion article to Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities. How often do we find ourselves as citizens complaining when legislators overlook cost-effective ideas and plans that could arguably provide some relief or a solution for a serious societal issue, and instead seem to prefer solutions that…
We want to alert you to town halls Washington 24th District state legislators are holding in Port Angeles and Port Townsend next week. Details for the town halls are below, but first we want to tell you why your participation is important. This is your opportunity to urge State Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, Rep. Steve Tharinger and…