Happy New Year! Or is it Bah, Humbug!

Welcome to 2010. In spite of a couple weeks of holiday cheer and good will, I still have some curmudgeonly thoughts.

These last couple weeks there have been all sorts of stories about starting a new decade, as well as reviews of the top stories of this past decade. I refuse to join in that nonsense! The year 2010 does not start a new decade. The year 2000 did not start a new century. Decades come in groups of 10 and we start counting with the number one, not with zero. So, to all you people who think you should be celebrating the new decade, I say, “Bah, humbug!” Make an appointment a year from now, in January 2011, and we can discuss the actual end of the first decade of the 21st Century, and the beginning of the second decade.

One of the top stories of the last couple weeks was about the Nigerian who set himself on fire on a Delta/Northwest flight headed for Detroit. Naturally, there has been abundant finger-pointing over the incident. I don’t pretend to know how things will settle out but I think we should keep in mind that no system is foolproof, or immune from a slip-up.

In my kitchen I have an exhibit, and a story, to prove my point. Our daughter, Erin, lives in the San Francisco Bay area and in a previous job did a ton of international travel, including regular trips to London. Shortly before going on one of those trips she did some gift shopping, stopping at a restaurant supply store to buy a Chinese cleaver. Now, this is not some wimpy little cleaver for slicing onions. It’s a heavy-duty tool suitable for splitting an elk in two. It’s a serious piece of cutlery.
Back in her car she stuck it in her briefcase for the drive home. The next day she caught a flight to London, and when she got to her hotel and unpacked, there in her briefcase was that cleaver. While many passengers get hassled about manicure scissors and penknives, she inadvertently smuggled on-board a cleaver capable of dismantling the airplane. The cleaver made it back across the Atlantic, this time in her checked bag, before ending its travels under our Christmas tree.

A couple issues we’ve followed this past year will continue as controversial issues in 2010.

This past year, Montana and Idaho held its first legal wolf hunts since the 1930s. The re-introduction of wolves into the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem was a roaring success. Managing wolves in ranching country has been more problematical. Unfortunately, the wolf situation is so tied up with emotions and politics that no matter what game management agencies do, they’ll make someone upset and ready to go to court to file yet another lawsuit. For the record, I think Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks did a good job of running the wolf season, taking a fairly cautious approach to the issue. Still, don’t be surprised if, in 2010, wolves go back to court, as some factions attempt to restore full federal protection.

Senator Tester’s wilderness bill, or the Forest Jobs and Recreation bill, also falls into those damned if you do—damned if you don’t categories. Like wolves, there is no middle ground for those on the extremes of either end of the forest management spectrum. Still, Tester’s cautious, middle of the road approach gives Montana the best chance for some wilderness legislation since 1988.

Finally, we should note that the last day of the 2009 waterfowl season will be Saturday, January 16. That’s one of those good news/bad news sorts of things. The bad news, the hunting season is about over. The good news, the hunting season is about over.

The end of the last hunting season also kicks off the spring banquet season with the annual Butte Area Ducks Unlimited dinner the evening of January 16, at the Mile High Reception Hall at Star Lanes, 4600 Harrison Avenue, in Butte. A perfect day; go duck or goose hunting, and then celebrate our hunting traditions with DU.