Felice Pace

It was exciting to see an article on the State of Jefferson. However, the article was not historically accurate. The State of Jefferson is not “a dream that has been around since 1941” as alleged by Emma Brown. Actually, a state was proposed for northwest California and southwest Oregon in 1852 — the State of […]

Let me make something clear: I do not like backcountry mountain biking, white-tablecloth-and-fine-wine river adventures or any of the rest of New West’s industrial recreationism. But Jim Stiles’ idea that New West recreationism is just as destructive as Old West extractionism is just plain hogwash (HCN, 5/29/06:Clinging hopelessly to the past). Industrial logging and ranching […]

Rebecca Clarren’s article on the Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath River Basin Water Bank fails to mention that over the past five years, $50 million has been given to farmers in the Basin to reduce their water use through improved irrigation efficiency (HCN, 10/17/05: ‘Water bank’ drags river basin deeper into debt). Where is the water […]

The exchange between SUWA Director Scott Groene and HCN Associate Editor Matt Jenkins is a fine example of the strategic dialogue which should be taking place within all Western wilderness campaigns (HCN, 9/27/04: Utah’s wilderness warriors reply). Those campaigns increasingly favor what is best described as a “Let’s make a deal” wilderness strategy. The price […]

The feature article, “Prairie Conundrum” points out that the federal government’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is providing incentives for farmers to convert native prairie into crop monocultures. But the article praises another USDA/Farm Bill program — the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). According to the article, EQIP claims to “pay farmers to adopt conservation practices […]

Your “follow-up” article about juvenile salmon dying in the Klamath River (HCN, 7/19/04: Follow-up) contained an error. You stated: “But the Bureau of Reclamation has no more water to send downstream …” BuRec does have the ability to send more water downstream. They could do this by cutting irrigation deliveries by as little as 10 […]

The May 10th edition contained yet another article praising an effort to protect wilderness. HCN presents these efforts as being promoted by grassroots groups, and as a result, of this reporting, the typical HCN reader is likely to conclude that there is a true grassroots movement for wilderness in the West. Unfortunately, this is not […]

Dear HCN, “In search of the Glory Days” (HCN, 12/23/02: In search of the Glory Days) follows what has become a tradition at HCN — nostalgia for the West that has passed or is passing. In this case, it is the glory days of mining that are mourned and the present days of outdoor recreation […]

Dear HCN, Ray Ring’s cover story on the environmental movement in Montana is a fascinating and instructive history which all Western environmentalists should study. But I can’t help feeling Ray missed one of the most important factors in the decline of Montana’s progressive coalition and the environmental movement in the rural West generally. Ring accurately […]

Dear HCN, Rebecca Clarren’s article on the Klamath River Basin (HCN, 8/13/01: No refuge in the Klamath Basin) gives readers the most in-depth portrait of the real people engaged in the Klamath water conflict – farmers, Native Americans and commercial salmon fishermen – that has appeared to date in the national, regional or local press. […]

Dear HCN, Jon Marvel did not adopt his attitude toward ranchers or his extraordinary tactics overnight. As you report, his attitude was formed over the course of 30 years as a neighbor of ranchers and 20-plus years as a resident of Idaho (HCN, 8/2/99). This pattern is repeating itself time after time across the West. […]

Dear HCN, James Souby’s letter in the Dec. 21 edition concerning the Western Governors’ Association “Enlibra” program is contradictory. On the one hand, Souby lauds the Oregon Salmon Plan as a “good example” of “environmental management strategies that incorporate balance and stewardship” while on the other he asserts “skepticism” that Enlibra-style “solutions’ would work “where […]