Editors Note An AP Member Exchange

By KARL PUCKETT Great Falls Tribune

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) _ John Murray, tribal historic preservation officer for the Blackfeet Tribe, opposes oil and gas exploration in Badger-Two Medicine in Lewis and Clark National Forest, a wild area of Montana that's home to grizzly bears and a place of worship for Blackfeet.

Sidney Longwell of Louisiana has held a permit to drill for natural gas in the Badger-Two Medicine for 21 years, but his efforts have been blocked. He contends he's being unfairly treated by the government in not being allowed to proceed after decades of delay.

The two men and others with a stake in what's known as the Hall Creek oil and gas exploration lease met face-to-face Thursday in Great Falls at a meeting called to work out their differences.

The Great Falls Tribune reports (http://gftrib.com/1mMzYdM ) that at the conclusion of the four-and-a-half-hour meeting, Longwell and Murray, the central figures, shook hands, but they could find little common ground, with Murray speaking of the ethereal qualities of the area, frustrating Longwell, who sought on-the-ground solutions to bridge the divide.

``What do you want to do?'' Murray said at one point.

``I want to be able to go in and drill,'' Longwell said.

``And that's where we're at an impasse,'' Murray said.

Can exploration occur in a way that does not harm the spiritual and cultural practices of the Blackfeet Tribe?

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Disagreement continues over exploration lease