Letters, letters, letters

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To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in regards to the recent article on trail fees.

First off, I should say that I use a lot of the trails in the area, popular and unpopular ones. I don't care if the trails are maintained or not. If one can't find their way without a well marked "dirt sidewalk" or if they lack the energy to walk around a boulder or over a fallen tree then they shouldn't be out there.

Secondly, these fees that are going toward maintaining trails and sites would not be necessary if pack animals were kept out. I've been to far too many places where shorelines have become mud pits and trails have become foot-deep dust bowls due to the pounding of hooves from pack animals.

If you don't believe me take a walk up Scott Pass from the east side this summer or anywhere in that area (among others) and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

A group of pack animals can do more damage in a weekend than I'm going to do in a lifetime. And I feel that it is wrong that I (and others) have to pay a fee to walk on trails that are so completely abused by others. "Others" being those who are so lazy and/or out of shape that they require beasts of burden to get themselves and their gear into and out of the woods.

With that being the case, they don't deserve the right or the pleasure of visiting our beautiful wilderness areas.

Sincerely,

Gary M. Pages

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To the Editor:

"Hikers will pay to use Sisters trails." We are very disappointed to learn of the Forest Services plan to charge use fees.

Public land belongs to us, the citizens of the U.S., it is held in trust for us and future generations by various government agencies. Make no mistake, this is a new tax. It is a hardship on families, it will deprive young people of a much needed option for recreation; it is just not right to charge us to use our own land.

There are many good, hard working people in the Forest Service, but as a government agency it has failed the American people. Instead of subsidizing the forest products industry, (the Forest Service loses money on timber sales) which includes foreign govemments, i.e. unprocessed timber shipped to the far east, the Forest Service should sell our timber at a profit so it can pay its own way.

But, failing to make a profit on timber sales, the Forest Service should be funded from general tax revenues, not individual "users." All citizens benefit from our forests and public lands whether they are direct users or not. It is shortsighted and unfair to tax recreational users.

I am writing everyone I can think of to protest this and hope many others will do the same.

Very respectfully yours, Larry E. Cagle

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To the Editor:

I read with dismay in Wednesday's Nugget that the Forest Service is now going start charging hikers to use certain wilderness trails this summer; I feared this would happen eventually.

The Forest Service's priorities are clear as always; they exist for the benefit of the logging industry. Using taypayer money, the Forest Service spends hundreds of millions building roads into the National Forests so that private logging companies can clearcut and trash the forest. Then they get to take out the logs at cut-rate prices that amounts to a hefty government subsidy.

Hikers however, who wish to walk into the wilderness with no more of an agenda than to enjoy nature, have to pay for the privilege. Corporate welfare is alive and well in Central Oregon.

R.T. Tihista

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To the Editor:

We want to thank the wonderful fire departments, the communities of Sisters and Bend, neighbors and friends for their prompt actions and support during and after the fire in our guest home on March 12. Our house was a total loss, the content in the house, ashes and twisted metal.

This seems the right time to remind people living in this area to be responsible for your home and property and eliminate all fire potentials. Don't take it for granted you'll be sleeping in your bed tonight; you might not. A donation fund has been established at the Bank of the Cascades in Sisters for David Elder and Ellie Seiber to help them rebuild their lives.

Gratefully,

Dennis and Dianna Enger

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To the Editor:

This was the last weekend of the Sisters Basketball Club youth basketball tournament series. This is the fourth year we have put on these events. These tournaments are held to give our middle school students a chance to compete against some of the best competition in the state. We also use them as a K12 basketball fund-raiser.

An added benefit is the large in flow of people to the community during the winter months. The tournaments were again very successful this year. We had approximately 200 teams come to Sisters to compete in these weekend tournaments.

I would like to thank all of the people who helped make these weekend events such a huge success. This includes the parents that volunteered many hours in concessions and gym supervision, the students who volunteered as scorers and timekeepers for over 700 games, and the business owners who made Sisters a place where teams want to spend time.

I would like to give special thanks to Ray Garretson, Tom Cofield, Glenda Hyde, Vicki Everson, Gail Macauley, and Ruth Nelson for their extra help in putting on these tournaments. The final thanks goes to our our coaches and players who dedicated many long hours in practice time and tournament work.

Sincerely,

Rand Runco