Dakota Resource Council members, Shelly and Dorothy Ventsch, whose family has farmed around New Town (ND) since before 1920, have noticed a marked decline of wildlife since the Bakken oil boom started surrounding their property...many birds no longer nest or migrate through their farmland. The Ventsch sisters lament the loss of wildlife and the quiet that they knew for decades. “Now my life is filled with worries,” says Dorothy. Shelley: Too many people are uninformed, so they vote for familiar names, not realizing incumbents are responsible for this... Dorothy: “We’re on our own in western North Dakota. The state government has told us it’s our responsibility to oversee development. Why should we come up with solutions to the problems the state government has brought to western North Dakota?” Shelley: “I don’t want to give up. If I go, I’m failing and abandoning the wildlife.” Dorothy: “Many people tell us we’re ‘against progress....Progress is improving the quality of life for everyone, not just one group. We used to have good mail service, our radio reception is now spotty; we had a paved road before the boom and for a while, it was back to a bad gravel road; it takes longer to get to town. We have regressed.”
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 01:20:36 +0000
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