Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

After five-plus years as executive director for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, I have retired as of the end of June.

In recent weeks I have been visiting with our members and others with whom I have worked with to thank them for their help. However, since I know I haven't reached everyone, I want to thank them through this letter. It has been a great five years for me and I hope that I have contributed in some way to making this a better place to live, work and visit.

For local businesses who are not chamber members, please thank your friends who are members and who are offering both financial and personal support to help the community.

Dorene and I will continue to live in the area and enjoy all the good life that Sisters offers.

Jim Fisher

Executive Director

Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce

Thank you for the informative story on salvage logging ("Money continues for salvage logging," June 26 Nugget). The quotes by members of Congress intent on perpetuating the salvage hoax would have made me laugh if they weren't so sad.

Who says that if a tree is "dead or dying," it should automatically be cut? Dead trees stabilize the soil, and are critical habitat for birds and other wildlife. Rotting trees provide essential nutrients for the next generation of trees, whether they die by fire, insects or any other natural process.

Removing dead trees from a forest is like stealing food from your child. Also, authors of the salvage rider and their timber industry backers must think that any uncut tree in the forest is rotting, and therefore wasted -- whether it is alive or dead. Salvage sales regularly include perfectly healthy, live, green trees (dead ones are not the big moneymakers).

The salvage rider ditched laws protecting fish, wildlife, water quality and forest health to speed up logging. Although there was plenty of salvage logging before the rider, the law gave away even more of our public forests to timber companies who made record profits throughout the '80s and early '90s, without the hassle of environmental laws.

I implore members of Congress who claim, like Jim Bunn (R-OR), that "we are logging before the logs rot" to quit insulting our intelligence. I applaud the demands of Rep. Elizabeth Furse (D-OR) for the economically and ecologically wise use of forests. Sincerely,

Monica Bond

The Sisters Little League All-Stars would like to thank Sisters Pumphouse and the Silver Dollar Arcade for their help and participation at our recent fund-raising car wash. We would also like to thank all those who gave donations. Thanks to them the All-Stars earned over $500 which will help pay for their stay in Hermiston.

Thanks again,

Ron Hayes & Mark Mills

All-star coaches