Letter to the editor

The article by Jon Christensen about conservation easements was very interesting, but failed to mention a few important points about easements (HCN, 3/29/04: Who will take over the ranch?). One, conservation easements are made in perpetuity. Forever is a long time. If you need a heart transplant in 10 years, or college tuition for the […]

One reason the conservation movement has not been able to get much traction over the years, especially among Republicans, is that it was invaded, starting back in the ’60s, by what one could call the “Issue Snatchers.” Most of these Issue Snatchers were chartreuse green. They had other fish to fry, agendas that came from […]

The letter from Lynn Scarlett and Rebecca Watson sparked a discussion with my husband about the return of the Robber Barons aided by the Bush Administration’s undermining of many environmental laws and policies (HCN, 1/19/04: Coming soon to a wilderness near you). Our conversation ended with a comment by my husband that really hit me […]

They say that perspective is everything, but Ray Ring gets it mostly wrong in his article on Bush judicial appointments (HCN, 2/16/04: Courting disaster). To say that a “coup” is under way is to ignore history. George Bush is fighting a coup that has been ongoing for decades. For too long, federal judges have acted […]

I am just floored that your article “Arizona land swap dogged by questions” does not mention ANY of the positive aspects of the proposed Yavapai Ranch land exchange (HCN, 3/1/04: Arizona land swap dogged by questions). At present, 116,351 acres of land within the boundary of the Prescott National Forest exists in checkerboard ownership with […]

Thanks for printing a small article about the scandalous Yavapai Ranch Land Exchange (HCN, 3/1/04: Arizona land swap dogged by questions). You’ve written previous articles about owners of inholdings in federal lands leveraging excessive profits. Mr. Ruskin similarly wants to play profiteer against the wishes of several Arizona communities. And he wants to prevent an […]

I have just rejoined the Sierra Club so that I might support Richard D. Lamm’s bid for a seat on its board of directors. His position on the immigration/population issues is unassailable (HCN, 2/16/04: Why I’m running: Immigration is the environmental issue). The fact that overpopulation’s looming threat to environmental health is worldwide should not […]

In response to Mr. Lamm: Immigration is NOT the environmental issue (HCN, 2/16/04: Why I’m running: Immigration is the environmental issue). To blame the trashing of our environment on immigrants is not unlike the attempt to link Iraq to 9/11; it rides popular sentiment to further a dark agenda. The real environmental issue is consumption, […]

Great essay by Andrew Becker, “My great-grandfather the crow killer” (HCN, 3/1/04: My great-grandfather the crow killer). My father — a 40-year employee with the National Park Service — was known far and wide for his passion and skills in “birding” (bird-watching). Since his passing over a decade ago, I have often noticed him watching […]

Last July, Dr. Donald F. Anthrop wrote a letter, “Pesticides killing Frogs? Poppycock” (HCN, 7/7/03: Pesticides killing Frogs? Poppycock), criticizing an earlier report by Cosmo Garvin (HCN, 5/26/03) about possible effects of pesticides on frog populations. At the end of Dr. Anthrop’s letter, he stated: “This is a sorry excuse for scientific research.” I think […]

The disproportionate use of global natural resources by the citizens of the United States is the number-one environmental issue, contrary to the opinion of ex-Gov. Lamm (HCN, 2/16/04: Why I’m running). Until the citizens of this country and our government curb their gluttonous use of global resources, we have absolutely no right to deny hard-working […]

I am surprised to see so much one-sidedness on population and immigration packed in one issue, and I trust that the Writers on the Range column, and related letters, do not represent the mindset of your readership (HCN, 2/16/04: Why I’m running). Why would the people of the West, many of whom have migrated here […]

Until fairly recently, the Sierra Club responsibly endorsed U.S. population stabilization by measured, sustainable immigration levels (HCN, 2/16/04: Why I’m running). Then came political correctness, mass immigration, a rumored $5 million buy-off to keep population matters off the club’s agenda, more corrupting millions in corporate money, and the club’s board took an abrupt about-face and […]

Recreationists hate fees for all the right reasons (HCN, 1/19/04: A moment of truth for user fees). Fees will inexorably lead down the slippery slope to privatization and commercialization of our public lands. Fees are undemocratic, exclusionary, a regressive double tax and flat-out wrong. The Forest Service fee program takes in approximately $37 million a […]

Recently, High Country News published an article critical of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (HCN, 1/19/04). The article overlooks program benefits and neglects key improvements that address problems that surfaced in the early years of the program. Since 1985, recreation demand has increased approximately 65 percent on BLM lands and 80 percent at national wildlife […]

Segregating skiers from snowmobilers may not be the most appropriate answer to the increased popularity of the backcountry in winter (HCN, 1/19/04: A moment of truth for user fees). That more and more people are enthusiastically enjoying these wonderful backcountry locations should be celebrated, not feared. Public lands are one of the things in which […]

I would like to commend Rachel Odell for her recent story about snowmobiler and skier conflict on public lands (HCN, 1/19/04: A moment of truth for user fees). The national forests, like the national parks, should take a stand on this issue sooner, rather than later, if they wish to head off serious resource degradation […]

I was very disappointed by Paul Larmer’s dismissive editorial regarding NASA’s plans to send humans to the moon and Mars (HCN, 2/2/04: A plan for Spaceship Earth). Larmer writes, “We’ll travel the galaxy later, when desperation and exploitation are no longer the driving forces.” If Larmer bothered to read more than media tidbits, then he […]

Thank you, HCN and Stacy Mitchell, for shedding, at the least, a minute amount of light on a most deserving subject — one that most mainstream media sources avoid out of fear for their lives. Wal-Mart and other similar mega-corporations and multinationals have practiced this perversion of “free market” economics for years — and largely […]

The article noting the seesawing plans for snowmobile use in Yellowstone Park repeats a common refrain that I have seen in many news articles about this issue: the suggestion that we should feel sorry for the buyers and users of snowmobiles because the rules changed (HCN, 1/19/04: Yellowstone snowmobilers suffer whiplash). I wish news writers […]