John Grove Interview, June 26, 2018

• Main Author: Grove, John
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ScholarWorks at University of Montana 2018
• Subjects: Ketchikan; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/forestrylanduseconservation_interviews/21; https://scholarworks.umt.edu/context/forestrylanduseconservation_interviews/article/1020/type/native/viewcontent/OH_462_001.mp3; https://scholarworks.umt.edu/context/forestrylanduseconservation_interviews/article/1020/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/OH_462_001.pdf

John Grove describes growing up in Ketchikan, Alaska wilderness where his parents homesteaded during the 1930s. He recalls how living in the wilderness influenced his decision to pursue a forestry degree and a career with the U.S. Forest Service. Grove talks about working for the Forest Service in Alaska during the 1950s and ‘60s before transferring to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in 1967. He describes the Bitterroot controversy that erupted in the 1970s around the Forest Service’s timber sales program and the lack of compliance with the forest plan standards. Grove recalls joining the Friends of the Bitterroot, a group of Montana citizens concerned about the impact of timber sales on wildlife and conservation in Montana, and reviewing timber sales proposals so they could be appealed under the law. Grove notes that the group’s appeals were often successful, and he discusses the impact that fewer timber sales had on the Bitterroot Valley area including a loss of employment in the forestry and logging industry and mill closures. He recalls how these effects sparked a backlash and violence against Friends of the Bitterroot members. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/forestrylanduseconservation_interviews/1020/thumbnail.jpg