Letter to the editor

In his essay on wild horses, Williams offers no facts. Instead, he merely quotes harried former BLM employees and a New York Times article to buttress his specious arguments. Moreover, speaking from his presumably well-informed New England Audubon landscape, known perhaps somewhere for the wild horses of which he blithely opines, the kernel of his […]

As a fellow Unitarian Universalist, I am puzzled and dismayed by Chris Wallace’s shortsighted and selfish attitude toward paying fees to use nearby U.S. Forest Service lands (HCN, 11/27/06). It seems to me that the no-fee movement is akin to the property-rights movement, as in “I own this land and I can do with it […]

In the “Bred For Success” article, author Stephanie Paige Ogburn perpetuates a common myth when she writes, “A well-trained falcon brings the catch (prey) uneaten to its master, who rewards it with food” (HCN, 11/13/06). Sheer fallacy: Falcons serve no master and they don’t retrieve. In comparing released aplomado falcons to an “annual crop of […]

On behalf of the Forest Guild, a national association of professional foresters with deep roots in community forestry, I would like to comment on Peter Friederici’s article “Peace Breaks Out in New Mexico’s Forests” (HCN, 10/30/06). The Forest Guild was one of the collaborators on the Rowe Mesa Collaborative Forest Restoration Project (CFRP) referred to […]

As a longtime subscriber, I have observed a marked uplift in the artistic level of the photography used to illustrate articles in the past year or so. The Oct. 30 issue was a new zenith, with two articles illustrated by Jared Boyd, “Just Another Giddyup” and “Peace Breaks Out in New Mexico’s Forests.” The photos, […]

I am always appreciative of those narrow-minded, ignorant folks who see themselves as bigots and fascists when they openly declare themselves as such. So it is with much thanks that I welcome the neon sign that Laura Pritchett has placed on her forehead blinking “FASCIST” — it will warn others to stay away from her. […]

In the story about Montana Gov. Schweitzer, Samuel Western seemed confused by the terms “pollution” and “climate change.” In the science community, we rarely refer to either of these words. They tend to be used by people who study policy. Typically, climate change is used to mean changes in long-term average patterns of temperature and […]

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 […]

Matt Jenkins did a nice job of covering stream restoration on the middle section of the Deschutes river, but he completely ignored the significant problems in the upper river. He writes, “Upstream from Bend, the river boils silvery green … charging through craggy chutes resplendent with ponderosa pine and Douglas fir (actually there’s a lot […]

I just read your article about how environmental groups are working with loggers to thin forests in New Mexico. While I am not opposed to thinning trees near communities to increase their defensibility against wildfires, I do think we need to examine the assumptions that underlie thinning programs. There is an implicit assumption that large […]

Your article “Clinton-era roadless rule is back … for now” overlooks some key facts about recent developments and threats still facing roadless areas in our national forests. While noting that a Wyoming court enjoined the Roadless Rule, the article failed to mention that a higher court — the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals — strongly […]

We were very disturbed by Peter Friederici’s article “Peace Breaks Out in New Mexico’s Forests.” Its misrepresentations and outright lies are a slap in the face to all of us who were involved in trying to revitalize community forestry during the 1990s. Friederici fails to provide any of the historical and cultural context necessary to […]

Thank you so much for your terrific story on the evils of the proposed takings initiatives on the November ballot. I believe your story played a great part in the defeat of California’s Proposition 90. Your eye-opening article got me writing letters to newspapers and telling my friends about it, who told their friends. … […]

Thank you for Diane Sylvain’s radiant essay, “The Memory of Mountains.” I am weary of wild-wo/man hiker goes solo into wilderness and has a Big Moment. Diane’s tender writing summed up for me the essence of the best of High Country News: the illuminating of the threads that connect us to each other, and to […]

As the former medical director of the Navajo Area Radiation Exposure Screening & Education Program (Navajo Area Indian Health Service), I would like to add several points to the generally excellent articles by Laura Paskus, “Navajo Windfall” and “Navajos pay for industry’s mistakes.” Having worked for four years examining patients applying for compensation under the […]

After reading Jonathan Thompson’s article “Reborn” in the Sept. 4, 2006, issue, I wondered if anyone recalls the 1979-’80 statement: “More people died at Chappaquiddick than died at Three Mile Island.” C.C. Michel Odessa, Texas This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Chappaquiddick vs. Three Mile Island.

The cutesie photos of the “indie news” types and a self-absorbed article about self-absorbed people writing news make me realize that unless you have a certain “look” and immodest attitude about how “unique” you are, reading HCN really has no meaning (HCN, 10/2/06: From the ground up). Could you tell me if the staff members […]

I was a bit disappointed with the Oct. 2 issue of HCN devoted to grassroots journalism in the West. For starters, it neglected to mention that some evidence suggests the long trend toward conglomerate takeover of local papers, a great rallying point for the alternative press, may be starting to reverse itself. It also omitted […]

Being a faithful subscriber to the High Country News, I read your Oct. 2 article about The Horse Fly. It contains many inaccuracies. For example, the article talks about Taos Pueblo’s proposed casino at the Kachina Lodge near downtown. It quotes Bill Whaley, proprietor of The Horse Fly, as saying: “The Taos News wouldn’t touch […]

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the article “Our Green Mountain” by The Old Crock, Jaime O’Neill, in your Oct. 2 issue. The Green Mountain Gazette was a labor of love of many in an isolated mountain community dedicated to bringing a difference in the lives of its readers. We struggled to publish an alternative […]