Endangered rivers

Calling the Flathead Valley home for 15 years has been a privilege. Owning a cabin on the North Fork is an even greater one. We live in a region that provides us with a myriad of outdoor recreational experiences that we all love. Our communities are safe. Neighbors are friendly. My car keys are usually in the ignition. We enjoy more than our fair share of the world’s clean water, air and wildlife.

My parents taught me that privileges come with responsibilities — living in a special place brings the responsibility to make sure it stays the same or better. I enjoy serving my neighbors and friends, though Whitefish City Council meetings often run late, as do meetings for our community-based literary journal, the Whitefish Review. I feel these efforts are important. They add to our sense of place and community.

Recently, the national conservation organization American Rivers released the annual list of the 10 Most Endangered Rivers in America. The North Fork of the Flathead is number five.

Think about this — the wildest and most pristine river left in the continental United States is also the fifth most endangered.

Clean water and Glacier National Park are essential to our quality of life and economic prosperity. The reality is that once these open spaces and watersheds are gone or trashed, they don’t come back.

If nothing else, become informed. Tell your family and friends that you support a Flathead River free from strip mines and coalbed methane. Contact Sen. Max Baucus and your local state legislator — remind them of the value we all place on the last best place. We have everything to lose and nothing to gain if these mining operations move forward in southern British Columbia.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Ryan Friel is a Whitefish city councilor.