Dear HCN,
I was surprised at the
thoughts reflected in two articles in the Aug. 13 High
Country News. In “The man in the rubber boots,” Paul
Larmer states that in western Colorado, where he lives, 12 inches
of rain falls. He says he lives in a desert. He says he used to use
his water “like stingy millionaires.” But then he admits he became
a profligate water user, too! For an editor of High Country News,
which has spoken about water conservation so passionately, this
seems extremely hypocritical.
In the article, “No
refuge in the Klamath Basin,” the attitudes of wildlife biologist
Tim Griffiths with the California Waterfowl Association and Phil
Norton, manager of six national wildlife refuges, are troubling.
Griffiths wants the Endangered Species Act to be more flexible and
Norton wants it tweaked. What this really means will be destruction
of the Act. I have learned in 25 years of volunteer activism that
when someone wants more flexibility, I had better check for my
wallet.
What is most troubling about these two
articles is that the people are educated about conservation
problems. Yet as soon as they get an opportunity, they are willing
to jettison the principles they profess to believe in or have been
taught to protect and ignore the real problems – too many people,
not enough water, trying to irrigate a desert – and go for their
own self-interest.
We need professionals who will
stick up for their beliefs or, at the very least, not mislead
people about what they do believe.
Brandt Mannchen
Bellaire, Texas
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Check for your wallets.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
