The once-thriving logging communities
of Western Montana's Flathead Valley are
struggling to survive, largely because of stringent
environmental regulations enacted during the Clinton years.
That's why the Ford drivers in the
valley are upset over the company's $5 million grant in
February to the National Audubon Society.
"I do not understand why Ford has
decided to give money to groups that attack their customer
base," says Bruce Vincent, a fourth-generation logger
in the Flathead Valley. "We're the folks who buy a lot
of their pickups."
In a written statement, Sandra Ulsh,
vice president of the Ford Motor Company Fund, said,
"Ford's support of Audubon is limited to specifically
funding environmental education and bird monitoring
projects."
But money is money, the protesters
insist, and they say thousands of rural jobs have been
eliminated by Audubon's support for declaring vast stretches
of public land off-limits to logging and road-building.
"People who drive Fords don't like
the fact that the company they buy from gives money to
environmental organizations that they perceive to be the
enemy," said Jim Petersen, editor of Evergreen
Magazine.
"Why would [Ford] see fit to
contribute to a group that is dependent on a conflict that
costs us?" Vincent asked.
That question has prompted angry calls
for economic sanctions.
"If you really want a Ford, buy a
used one," urges John Stokes, owner of KGEZ-AM in
Kalispell, Mont. "That way, no money goes to Dearborn,
Michigan."
Stokes said his radio station has
received calls and e-mails from hundreds of listeners upset
over Ford's environmental contributions.
The station's Web site, KGEZ.com, has
posted the names of local businesses supporting
environmental groups.
Some environmentalists call this
"corporate blacklist" unfair, but Stokes says
turnabout is fair play; he argues that environmental groups
have used the same tactics for years.
For now, calls for actual boycotts are
limited and loosely organized. But if this grassroots
backlash gains momentum, more companies may find it's not
easy being green.