Letters to the Editor for Jan. 4, 2010

Forest has too many roads now

The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, if managed appropriately, can provide us and future generations endless opportunities for enjoyment. Good stewardship is necessary for the lands to sustain vital processes such as providing clean water for communities while supporting fisheries and a variety of wildlife that in turn enrich our lives.

With 9,111 miles of roads, the WWNF is the third most-roaded national forest in the nation. While it’s hard to imagine enough roads to stretch across the U.S. several times, packed into the non-wilderness areas, this is the imprint left from the height of industrial resource extraction. The road system is the most environmentally degrading legacy on the WWNF and there is not a single management reason why we need a road system anywhere near this size and a long list of reasons why we need a much smaller one.

Elk populations are on a downward trend due to road densities that routinely exceed 2.5 miles per square mile of land, a threshold above which elk do poorly. Elk are moving onto private land, causing chronic problems for wildlife managers, ranchers and hunters. The WWNF has 1,806 miles of designated roads and OHV trails inside riparian areas alone. One motorized stream crossing can do a lot of damage to water quality, yet the WWNF currently has 13,597 total road and OHV trail stream crossings! The survival of salmon, steelhead and bull trout and the rare recreation opportunities these fisheries provide are jeopardized by the excessive number of roads in riparian areas.

What the Travel Management Plan is really about is determining what we are going to find on the WWNF once we get there. Will we find wildlife and fisheries thriving within intact and pristine environments that offer our families solitude from increasingly busy, technical lives or will we find frustration, beat-up landscapes with widespread roads and noise from vehicles?

I support the alternative that closes the most roads because there would remain over 2,500 open miles of roads on the WWNF. This would provide ample access and also be a huge step toward ensuring a WWNF we can all enjoy.

David Mildrexler

Ecosystem protection coordinator

Hells Canyon Preservation Council

La Grande

Ski area has to raise prices

After 10 years of operating losses at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, the owners were forced to implement pricing increases this season.

Half-price lift passes on Thursdays will no longer be available, but some “surprise” values may happen on this day. Modest ticket increases on remaining days, as well as food and bar increases, will also take place. Whether these price increases will allow ALMR to operate at “break-even” will not be known until the end of the season — April 2010.

Our customers may not be aware that we owners have never taken any money from operations over the past 10 years nor have we been able to recoup any of the monies we have spent to upgrade ALMR; i.e., triple chair, lodge improvements, rental equipment, grooming equipment, etc. To the contrary, we have contributed significant monies to the operations virtually every year.

ALMR is a tremendous asset to Baker and Union counties. ALMR partners with the U.S. Forest Service and local businesses to provide a fun and wholesome winter experience for our customers. ALMR owners all have personal ties to Baker and Union counties and consider the money spent as our “donation” to the people in the area.

However, after 10 years we cannot continue to financially supplement ALMR’s operations and have chosen, after much debate and discussion of options, to implement the fee increases mentioned here. We need our customers’ financial help to bring ALMR’s operations to a “break-even” basis and are writing this letter asking for their understanding and support.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact ALMR management at: ALMR, 47500 Anthony Lakes Highway, North Powder, OR 97867.

Lee Kearney

Vancouver, Wash.

On behalf of ALMR owners

Trolley a valuable public service

I’ve always been a supporter of public transit; to use it, it has to match your schedule and the demands of work, but when it works I’ve always thought it was worthwhile.

Since the beginning of the trolley/bus service I’ve noticed many Baker residents have what amounts to almost a personal dislike of the trolley — some just seem to think it’s too fancy for their tastes, maybe they would prefer a more traditional bus vehicle, though I’m guessing that if they were in real need of public transportation their tastes would be of little importance.

The more addressable concern a lot of people seem to show is they believe that the cost of the trolley and its operation directly impacts their wallets. I don’t personally believe that to be true, I think most of the cost of the service and the other services provided by Community Connection are met by grants. If that is the case, the community should be grateful someone was capable of forming a successful grant application that benefits them.

Perhaps the individuals responsible and knowledgeable about the funding particulars could respond to this letter by submitting a breakdown of the trolley funding to satisfy the doubts I’ve noticed.

Personally I think funding public transport, library systems, etc., is a no-brainer regardless of whether I as a citizen support it financially. But perhaps an explanation is in order.

T.F. James

Baker City

Don’t like taxes? Check the Bible

For those prone to quoting scripture, insisting that we’re a Christian nation, and squawking like a chicken fleeing the hatchet when taxes are raised slightly on wealthy corporations and individuals in order to benefit everyone else, especially the most vulnerable, how does your “I’ve got mine, you get yours” attitude square with the words of Jesus?

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory ... Then shall (he) say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you ... For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And (he) shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed ... For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” (Matthew 25)

Llona Crane

Baker City