The People v. Nature debate STRIKES AGAIN.

Part of my commitment here at the MCC is to attend one public meeting as well as to complete 10 hours of voluntary service in the community. So on Thursday I rode the huffy that could, down the street to the Red Lion hotel and sat in on a public forum before the fish wildlife and parks commission.

They had some 15 agenda's to get through, but the first agenda was the most heavily attended and easily the most important which was the conflict of continuing to purge hybrid trout, which threaten the native westslope cutthroat trout, from mountain lakes. The purge of the hybrids comes at the potential cost of insect and amphibious life, and can possibly pose a danger to people, owing to the use of a pescicide called rotenone, which kills all of the fish so that the lakes can be restocked with pure westslope.

The meeting (over fish and chemicals) caused for heated and passionate commentary by the public, including one man who stood up and denounced the US government in a series of tangents that lead to an awkward silence by the crowd. Anyway, the conflict hit the front page the next day and was undoubtedly an interesting experience for me.

While I cannot help but want to protect a native species which is being destroyed by hybridization with non-native fish, I also see that poisoning the water is a larger concern, which might put more species at stake than just one.

My volunteer activity of the week was weeding a neighbor's garden. My roommate Melissa and her boyfriend Brian met the woman at the diner a few blocks from our house and were approached by her. She came out when we were two hours into our work and told us to go home because she didn't have enough money to pay us. When we told her we were free she cried "god bless you!" and asked if she could give us hugs. Strangely, weeding for free has become much more appealing than weeding for money. It seems less like work, and more like fun. Especially when I get to know my neighbors.

Also on the list of this week's activities included a day trip with Brian and Jack up to Logan Pass to go hiking. The trip began well enough. Jack picked us up and we drove to West Glacier where we picked up a Going to the Sun bus to take to the pass. The rain started to pour while we sat in the bus (which was when Brian and I realized we had no rain gear), then Jack's contact fell out leaving him half blind. Jack, having stuck his stocking cap between the seat and side of the bus to damper a squeak that had been annoying me, accidentally left his cap behind when leaving the bus, and then once we were dropped off, we realized that our planned hike across the garden wall was still closed due to snow.

After all of these many minute disasters, the sun seemed to burst over the mountains, and realizing that there was one hike open at the pass, we set off toward the ice covered Hidden Lake. The hike down involved crossing 2 miles of snowfield and following (/being followed) by a goat. One by one the many tourists on the path declined until finally it was just us and the goat. We sat and had lunch at the lake, skipped stones, and broke up ice sheets with rocks. So that was all good and fine.



The hike BACK was more eventful. A large storm cloud came overhead prompting us to run at full speed down the snow covered hills. I think it will probably be the only time in my life that I'll have to cross a gigantic snow drift, sweating in a T-shirt and soccer shorts, in order to outrun a thunderstorm.

What an exciting 5 days off!