Make a better deal
Dear Editor:
Hopefully, President Biden will make nuclear deals with Iran and North Korea. However, it is equally to be hoped that he does not repeat the fatal flaw of the first Iran deal: It imposed a waiting period for the inspection of suspected sites. This would have allowed them to move the materials for making a nuclear weapon — such as enriched uranium — to a second site during the waiting period for the first site; then when the second site would come under suspicion, it would have a waiting period during which the material could be moved to a third site; and so on. (That is why a future President may cancel the deal again.)
Alvin Blake
Okanogan
Community club cleanup
Dear Editor:
Many, many thanks to the wonderful Mazama folks who came out yesterday to clean up the Mazama Community Club. And clean up they did: raking the grounds of billions of pine needles, weeding the flower beds, cleaning the kitchen, washing windows, cleaning the light fixtures, generally sprucing up this building and grounds. This little former schoolhouse is 100 years old this year; a volunteer board of directors looks after its care. Due to COVID, the building was closed for a year; it is now open again for meetings and other get-togethers. Yesterday’s demonstration of community spirit reminded me how fortunate I am to live in a place where people care about and take care of each other.
Midge Cross
Mazama
Keep the road open
Dear Editor:
Regarding the recent My Turn column by Ric Bailey about the Twisp Restoration Project:
He is proposing, the article indicates, to close the south side of Twisp River Road from the Twisp River Trailhead to the Twisp River horse camp. That trailhead is 3 miles from the Buttermilk junction. He suggested that there only be a footbridge across the south side of the river.
I am noting here that the south side of the Twisp River Road has been a groomed snowmobile trail for approximately 33 years. It is an approved grooming route by Washington State Parks, Okanogan County Snowmobile Advisory Board and the U.S. Forest Service, and payment for grooming is included in our yearly licenses. This route (both sides of the river roads) has been groomed for winter recreation. The south side road is very important to our winter recreation.
In summer the road accesses trailheads for Eagle/Oval lakes, Williams Lake, War Creek, South Creek and others, and also accesses camping on the south side of the Twisp River. Approximately 33 years ago the Forest Service along with the Methow Valley Back Country Horsemen completed a horse camp approximately 4 miles above Mystery Camp bridge on the south side of the river. This area is a major access in spring, summer and fall for autos, trucks, trailers and horses pulling vehicles.
The south side road along the Twisp River is a very usable and important road and needs to be left open and usable for years to come.
Betty Wagoner
Twisp
