Dear HCN,
As a Sierra Club member
and former resident of New Mexico, I was very impressed with the
“zero cow” initiative article, for it highlights the complexity of
how to both use and protect public lands (HCN, 2/26/01: ‘Zero-Cow’
initiative splits Sierra Club). In the past, when the proverbial
pendulum supported loggers, miners, ranchers and market hunters,
our public lands suffered greatly. Now we are in danger of the
pendulum swinging too far the other way.
We as
a concerned community need to focus. The “enemy” is not the logger,
commercial fisherman, miner or developer. The enemy is
environmental destruction and exploitation. If we are to succeed in
protecting our environment for future generations, we need to all
work and come together to ensure that the goal of sustainable
development and land use/extraction is met. Wisely used, resources
will last forever.
David M.
Nelson
Post Falls, Idaho
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Ranchers not necessarily the enemy.
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