Grassland Wilderness: Noem Willfully Uninformed, Ikes on Board, Herseth Sandlin Still Thinking...

As we wait to see if the Senate will act on Tim Johnson's really good grassland wilderness bill, it is worth noting that GOP House hopeful Kristi Noem not only has not read the whole bill (S. 3310, the Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act... all six whopping pages of it!), but also won't even listen to folks who could explain it to her:

Several weeks ago we requested a meeting with Noem to provide information about wilderness and share with her the support this legislation has received from over 50 local organizations including hunters, the Oglala, Rosebud, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes, conservationists and others. Unfortunately, we received no response.

I hope Noem reconsiders, and bases her decision on factual, accurate information this time around [Cheryl Warren, SD Wild Grassland Coalition, letter to the editor, Rapid City Journal, 2010.09.15].

The South Dakota Izaak Walton League also supports the Cheyenne River grassland wilderness plan. More wild-eyed grass-hugging greenies? Not from the looks of the folks I see at the Ikes' clubhouse on Lake Herman.

I note that Richard Rasmussen's letter cites Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's "recognition that Sen. Johnson's grassland wilderness bill positively affects hunting and the economy." But Herseth Sandlin's office has yet to finish its evaluation of "this complex issue" and issue the endorsement that Senator Johnson's bill deserves.