SEELEY LAKE - Most of you know that a petition has been circulated at a number of businesses that aims to have the Forest Service remove our current Ranger Rachel Feigley. Without mentioning her by name and in no specific terms, Rachel is being accused of incompetence, negligence and acting in ways that are detrimental to the health and well-being of Seeley Lake.
Some storeowners, when asked, were not sure who the Ranger was and what he/she did to warrant the petition, and it is obvious that many people signed the petition without a clear understanding what they are signing.
Verbally, Rachel is accused of closing the Big Larch Campground.
The truth of the matter is that Big Larch Campground is dangerous, because of fallen and dead trees. Imagine the uproar if a child were killed there during the summer.
Rachel tried to get the necessary resources to open Big Larch in time for the summer season but work was delayed because of lack of available resources.
She was taken by surprise when the petition suddenly surfaced. No attempt had been made to discuss any of these allegations with her or the Forest Service. Rachel has been very responsive and communicative with the community. She has appeared at every Community Council meeting and has held many community meetings to inform people what she was doing and answered questions. She has worked hard with limited resources to fulfill her many responsibilities as a Forest Ranger.
Dozens of Seeley Lake residents have called, e-mailed and written to the Forest Service Supervisor Tim Garcia in response to the petition with firm and emphatic support for Rachel.
The attack on Rachel strikes a reminiscent tone to the Salem witch hunts of 300 years ago. Like then an innocent (and in this case, highly competent) woman is being persecuted by a small but vocal minority. She is not literally burned at the stake, but figuratively, by trying to drive her family out of town and destroy her professional career because of acts of nature. A number of people have suggested that this petition is rooted in nothing but old-fashioned misogyny.
It is an outrage and an injustice that makes my blood boil. Rachel has been a hard-working, competent Ranger and a wonderful member of our community. Anyone with a sense of justice needs to rise to her defense. We cannot let this sort of thing happen and shrug our shoulders. That’s what I was taught growing up in post WWII Germany.
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