‘No’ to Twisp Restoration
Dear Editor:
I am adamantly opposed to the Twisp Restoration Project, currently planned to begin next month. I live on the Twisp River Road and this road is a quiet, winding road that I and many other people use for walking and bicycling, in addition to the occasional car and truck traffic. The logging traffic detailed in the Methow Valley News on April 13 coming down this bucolic road, and then on Highway 20 through Twisp and Winthrop, will be nothing short of dangerous and destructive to our way of life here.
In addition to the noise, pollution and danger the logging trucks will create, this project is not based in grounded science. Mechanical forest thinning does not decrease the chances of forest fires. In fact, this type of thinning often increases fire spread by putting more fine fuels on the ground. Additionally, thinning in some instances can increase fire spread by exposing the forest floor’s fuels to greater sun drying and greater penetration by wind through the open forest stands. It is literally drying out the forest floor, making it much more fire prone.
Please call the ranger district, Hampton Lumber and tell them “no” to their lumber trucks storming through the Methow Valley.
Tamar Baber
Twisp
Getting the litter
Dear Editor:
It’s litter pick-up season for several teams who take care of Highway 153 and other roadsides. Thank you to everyone who cleans up. The roadsides I walked this year were really clean! Way to go, Methow! Thanks for tying down or securing your loads.
There was way less construction debris than other years. However, to the person who balls up the aluminum foil wrapper from her/his meal and throws it out between Highway 20 and Lower Beaver Creek Road — Methow eyes are watching out for you and someone will report your license plate number someday. The most abundant litter? Vehicle parts (accidents?) and orange plastic lane markers.
Litter pick-up day was a feel-good experience this year. We care about the Methow Valley and it shows.
Jan Sodt
Winthrop
Short of the goal
Dear Editor:
Earth Day wasn’t a bad idea. So far, we can be sure that to save the environment for future generations to steward it will take more education and more involvement than watching TV and feeling good about planting some seedlings.
To allow more management agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, to continue to damage our public land with “restoration” projects by “harvesting” old-growth forests with commercial logging and beef production only moves the ecosystems closer to the elimination of a sustainable environment. Agencies, such as the Department of Interior and EPA , require public surveillance and support to assure their roles in assuring a healthy environment.
“Perhaps our descendants will live to see the day when it is too late to do anything about our environmental pollution (Cottam, 1965).” Dr. Clarence Cottam served the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 25 years as Chief of Wildlife Research. He became a mentor and model for me in 1965. On the first Earth Day I followed his guidance to present the day’s theme lecture, “No More Business as Usual;” unfortunately, we have not achieved that goal.
Don Johnson
Libby Creek Watershed Association
