After reading a recent op-ed piece written by four seemingly confused former land board staffers regarding the Habitat Montana program I believe a response is definitely in order. The four, Ed Tinsley, Kathy Bramer, Rusty Harper and Jenny Eck, show the ineptness associated with past operations of the land board when it comes to writing and approving legal documents. These documents are sometimes ambiguous and potentially contrary to Montana laws that specifically provide for the rights or interests of the mineral estate in regards to the surface estate.
In their haste to make political hay during this political season they come up with what they consider to be “puzzling facts” to deceive the readers of their op-ed.