Briefs for Aug. 28, 2024
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CSKT holds annual Bears, Cider Fall Wildlife Festival
News from Stephanie Gillin, CSKT – NRD
FLATHEAD RESERVATION — Everyone is welcome to the fourth annual Wildlife Festival. Bring some apples to the Ronan Visitor’s Center for free cider pressing where you can learn more about fruit gleaning and chronic wasting disease. You will also have a chance to talk with CSKT’s wildlife biologists about our current projects on the Flathead Reservation. For more information go to: www.cskt.org/wildlife or www.facebook.com/CSKTWildlife Get to picking. Borrow free apple pickers and drop off any unwanted fruit at: St. Ignatius Community Center, 240 Mountain View Dr.; Ronan Co-op Brewery, 23 4th Ave. SW; and Polson, 406 6th Ave. E. For more information go to Mission Valley Fruit Gleaning page on Facebook.
Senate President responds to judge’s ruling on ballot initiatives
News from MT State Republicans, MT Legislature
HAMILTON — Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, responded today to a ruling earlier this week from Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan striking down major portions of laws passed by the 2021 and 2023 Legislatures designed to improve the ballot initiative process.
Part of Menahan’s ruling was to remove public comment and legislative review from proposed ballot initiatives prior to signature gathering.
“Judge Menahan has robbed Montanans of their one and only opportunity to voice their opinions on proposed initiatives in a public forum and removed the only part of the process that involves a public debate over the merits of these proposed laws and constitutional amendments,” Ellsworth said.
“Further, the judge’s ruling reduces the amount of information presented to qualified electors when they’re asked to sign petitions to qualify initiatives for the ballot. For the past few years the public has known whether their elected representatives reviewed the initiative and voted to recommend it as a good idea or reject it as a bad idea. Now Montanans will be less informed when they are deciding whether or not to add their names to a ballot initiative,” Ellsworth added.
“This is a ruling against transparency, against public participation, and against informed lawmaking,” Ellsworth concluded.
Interior Dept. announces nearly $7M for Indian Youth Service Corps Projects
News from the Dept. of the Interior
WASHINGTON D.C. — The Department of the Interior announced nearly $7 million through the Indian Youth Services Corps (IYSC) for Indigenous-led conservation projects across the nation. The IYSC, launched by Secretary Haaland in 2022, is a partnership-based program helping provide meaningful education, good-paying jobs, and training opportunities to Indigenous youth through conservation projects on public and Tribal lands, and Hawaiian homelands. This latest round of projects will further advance the American Climate Corps, the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to empower a new, diverse generation of Americans to tackle the climate crisis and become part of a growing clean energy and climate-resilience workforce. These efforts help advance the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and ongoing efforts to support local and Tribally led conservation and restoration priorities.
