Letters, letters, letters

To the Editor:

In his December 10 Letter to the Editor, Michael Goodwin states he can disprove every statement made my me in the previous week's article in The Nugget regarding logging the Santiam LSR.

Obviously incapable of doing that, he instead resorts to a harsh personal attack on me and environmentalists in general. He broadly labels people like me as "people who don't even know what work is."

Excuse me Mr. Goodwin, but for a good portion of the time that you were out in the forest cutting down our national heritage I was overseas serving my country in the U.S. military.

I started on the road to becoming an environmentalist during a five-year period of selling heavy duty truck parts to loggers such as yourself. Amid constant bashing of environmentalists, scapegoating and denial by my fellow timber industry workers, I took an objective look at the public forest debate.

I came to the conclusion that the real reason our forests are in such a sad state is not because of "preservationists" such as myself. In actuality, decades of cutting big trees, road building, grazing, timber theft, dogmatic fire suppression and general mismanagement are to blame.

So excuse me Mr. Goodwin, because I neither want or need to earn the respect of someone such as yourself whose livelihood was apparently dependent on environmentally destructive, taxpayer subsidized welfare logging. I'll look for my heroes elsewhere.

Steven Huddleston

To the Editor:

Thank you, Michael Goodwin, for your letter of December 10. I agree with you 100 percent.

I'm sure many, many more feel the same. We just haven't found the courage to write.

Thanks again.

Dave Snow

To the Editor:

Wednesday, December 17, at 7 p.m., at the Deschutes National Forest Headquarters, 1645 Hwy 20 E in Bend, there will be another public meeting about the proposed Forest Service/Crown Pacific land exchange.

The public comment period for the controversial land exchange involving thousands of acres ends soon, January 9, 1998, so this is an opportunity to learn more about the issues.

Although some parts of the proposed action seem reasonable, as described in the Environmental Impact Statement, others are cause for concern. Some threatened species may be affected. Crown Pacific will receive large areas of valuable old growth ponderosa pine, while some of the land that the Forest Service will acquire in exchange has already been logged. Surely, this is not in the public interest!

Citizens to Change the Exchange, ARLU-DeCo, and many residents from Tumalo, Sisters, Bend, LaPine and other areas, are very concerned about losing valuable forest land around urban areas for hiking, horseback riding, bird-watching, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities. Swapped lands which now provide public access may be logged and then developed, contributing to urban sprawl and eroding natural green space.

Environmentally sensitive wildlife habitat and riparian areas in the Bull, Dorrance, Sellars, and Toast sub-watersheds should be removed from the land exchange. The forested 16-acre parcel behind the Sisters Ranger District HQ should also be removed, as it was only included to benefit a motel developer and is inconsistent with the aim of the plan.

Furthermore, the Sisters parcel is not appraised at its commercial value, so the private parties' gain is the public's loss.

Write to your Congressional representatives and to the Supervisor of the Deschutes National Forest to express your opinion of the land exchange before January 9.

Libby Bottero

To the Editor:

I am writing in regard to the land swap of the 16-acre parcel next to the Ponderosa Lodge in the city limits of Sisters. I cannot put in too strong of terms our opposition to this particular land swap.

What possible benefit can it have to the citizen owners of our public lands? Located just next door to the district office, how difficult can it be to manage? Why is it even included in such a huge land swap, unless it is for the benefit of one individual.

This asset to the people of Sisters and the surrounding community is not measurable in dollars. Its future value, after Sisters grows past its current boundaries, is unimaginable.

This tract is very special and unique. It has enormous and irreplaceable recreational and wildlife habitat value. It is uniquely located in the Sisters city limits where it is easily accessible by foot or bike.

Trading this parcel off is no different than swapping off the Village Green. Let's keep this wonderful property in the public trust for the benefit of all present and future Sisters area residents and visitors.

Very respectfully yours

Larry & June Cagle

To the Editor:

Citizens of Sisters, wake up!

Remember the last time you got caught sleeping? Your efforts to oppose a gravel mine and a soon-to-be subdivision that will change your beloved views were futile because you slept while zoning laws were being changed.

The ambiance of Sisters is threatened again, this time by a proposed land exchanged between the US Forest Service and Crown Pacific. Don't roll over and go back to sleep, or you may be faced yet again with a rude awakening.

Bill Reed has finally maneuvered himself into position to acquire the 16-acre federal parcel adjacent to his motel for expansion. While I have high regard for Mr. Reed as a successful businessman, I strongly protest his objective of personal gain at the expense of the U.S. taxpayers.

Forest Service guidelines state "land exchanges must benefit the public." I ask you, who benefits from the exchange of this obscure parcel that would not otherwise be of interest to Crown Pacific?

Another significant fact raises other questions. In the draft EIS, the Forest Service objective is to consolidate lands, yet in this case they are intentionally fragmenting what is currently a solid block of Federal land. For what purpose and to whose benefit?

Because the proposed exchange of this particular parcel does not benefit the public interest, it does not meet the purpose and need for action statement in the Draft EIS, and should not be apart of this exchange.

Don't let our surrounding public lands disappear into private development. Right now you have a voice, but you won't later. The deadline for public comment is January 9. Call the Deschutes National Forest and request a copy of the DEIS.

I urge you, don't delay! Your voice is critical in this process and you can make a difference in the future of Sisters.

Respectfully,

Kate Goossens

To the Editor:

I agree with Mr. Ankum, (The Nugget, Letters, December 10) who suggested that there should be a legal way for Bill Reed to purchase the 16.2 acres desired for motel expansion.

I find no fault with the expansion plan, or its potential benefit to the community, but the price that the public will pay for the total exchange far outweighs any benefit to Sisters from the inclusion of this parcel.

It is precisely the fact that the Forest Service has this control over community development which is my main complaint. I do not believe that they should have any right to make deals with any timber or paper company or others which involve land adjoining communities. This should be handled by a select panel with the knowledge of potential real estate values and bid openly and competitively, as the federal government requires contractors do when bidding government contracts.

I would call your attention to an article in the November-December issue of Audubon Magazine, telling of the gross abuse of land use control by the Tennessee Valley Authority in Kentucky and Tennessee. It is as gross as you can imagine.

Congress is going to strip them of any powers except power generation, which is what they, were created for. Your Forest Service should be on the same list, for they, too, are abusing their original mandate to be forest stewards.

Another article in Audubon tells of the ruthless stripping of Southern forests - it is entitled "Whittling Dixie." It will make you boil in frustration! If this exchange goes through, your forests won't be much different.

An article in the Bulletin states that a single large old growth log can be worth as much as $2000, shipped to Japan. Multiply the old growth in this exchange, plus the value of real estate adjoining Bend, LaPine and Sisters and you know what this exchange is all about.

Call your Representative and Senator and demand action before January 9.

Russell B. Williams

To the Editor:

I would greatly appreciate all efforts to inform the public and curtail the burning of unnecessary fires and the cessation of igniting substances which allow harmful chemicals into the air.

Recently, Fire Chief Don Mouser reported the need for us to voluntarily lessen both indoor and outdoor smoke emissions before we are slapped with stiff regulations by the Department of Environmental Quality and forced to comply in a hurry.

I would like once again to express my gratitude to the City of Sisters for having made spring clean up fun by picking up our yard debris free of charge. I would request that the city include in its budget funding for both spring and fall yard debris collection free of charge for the people of Sisters.

A suggestion was made to me that the fall pick up be later. I would suggest two dates in autumn. One for pine needle debris at the regular scheduled time and one several weeks later, after the leaves have fallen.

Nearly everyone I spoke with agreed that they would gladly take advantage of this service if it was offered free, that they would obey the law if outdoor burning was prohibited and that it wasn't was much fun as it used to be.

The popularity of the spring program speaks for itself.

Sincerely,

Anita Kirkaldy

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, I want to commend the businesses and residents of Sisters for their holiday spirit.

As I walk through town after work (which is always after dark), I take particular pride in being a resident of this twinkling little city. Christmas lights outline the homes, trees, buildings and barns throughout the area, welcoming visitors to Sisters.

In addition to the individual merchants and residents who braved their own ladders to help set this scene, there a few other folks I would like to acknowledge for their contributions to the holiday atmosphere.

After losing our regular "light guy," Tim Calmettes of Metolius Enterprises stepped in on short notice to light many of the merchants' buildings. I know he didn't know what he was in for, but he literally rose to the task.

Rising with Tim, and going way above and beyond the call of duty, were the crews from Central Electric Cooperative. The CEC guys donated hours of their time to help string the community Christmas tree at the Three Creeks Building on Hood Avenue.

And it wasn't enough to just have them string the lights. After the lights kept blowing breakers in the building, they came back with their bucket truck on the holiday weekend to help us reach the top of the 25-foot juniper just in time for the Hospice tree lighting ceremony.

Now that's holiday spirit.

Thanks also to Dick Howells for donating the electricity to keep the tree lit all season (and for putting up with power cords, and drafts, running through his office window).

I understand Metolius Enterprises is still available to any merchants who would still like to get their lights up before Christmas. Call 549-9329.

Thanks to all of you for giving me one more reason why Sisters is a great place to be; during the holidays and always.

Stephen Shunk, Chamber Manager