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900 W. Main St.,
PO Box 690 Grangeville, ID 83530
Phone: 208.983.1200 |
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| Disturbing information about Blixseth |
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| Letter - Sangster |
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If only the proposed Lochsa Land Swap were as simple as a job creating event, the only people opposed would have been Gary Macfarlane and other environmental activists. However, why are there so many citizens against this plan that are not environmentalists? You have been thrown some facts by Skip Brandt, which would be great if that were to really happen. But let's look at the here and now. the principle in this land deal is Mr. Timothy Blixseth, and if you research his name you will find some disturbing information. He and his immediate family are involved in over 100 cases of litigation, including bankruptcy, false claims, contract disputes, personal injury, fraud and racketeering. Mr. Blixseth, in 1989, was recommended by the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon for suspension and debarment for contract defaults and business practices. In Montana, Mr. Blixseth is involved in the bankruptcies of the Moonlight Basin resort and the Yellowstone Club. The states of California, Idaho and Montana are seeking tens of millions of dollars of alleged unpaid taxes.
You also forget that when Western Pacific Timber is given these lands, the lands become private. It has been stated that public access will be maintained, but let's look at a case in Washington. In November 2006, Mr. Disney of Western Pacific Timber provided a statement to the Goldendale Sentinel expressing the view of public access. In this area, Western Pacific Timber had acquired some 80,000 acres in a land exchange, and it was stated that where the company felt comfortable with the public having access, they allowed it. At the time of the article, some 18,000 acres were closed to the public because the company was not physically working in that are and hence felt uncomfortable with public access to those lands.
We need to get jobs in this area, there is no argument. Thanks to the continual legal lockups of timber sales on federally managed lands, we have lost jobs and income in this county. Privatizing timber lands around us is a possible solution to a short-term jobs and money surge, but depending upon the landowner, could result in long-term problems and expenses that outweigh the short-term gain. There is no easy fix, but we need to fight for out benefits of having public lands near us instead of letting the environmental activists take control. Perhaps we should be strongly suggesting that for future timber sale operations on federal managed lands that are locked up in the courts, an amount equal to the dollar value of the sale be awarded to the communities affected by the loss of the sale, and this money would be provided by the environmental groups suing for the sale stoppage.
John Sangster
Grangeville
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