Letters to the Editor for Sept. 4, 2009

County, media mislead

To the editor:

Since the beginning of the Travel Management Plan in the local forest, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Baker County Commissioners and the local media has misled the public through the intentional omission of information. Here are a few points that your Commissioners and the local media don’t want you to know.

First, Baker County Commissioners went behind the back of the local people and signed a cooperative agreement with the USFS for the duration of the Travel Management Plan. When the Commissioners signed the agreement, they were fully aware of the USFS proposal to remove 4,300 miles of forest roads, to close every road left in the WWNF and then to designate certain roads as open. Commissioners signed the cooperative agreement AFTER a committee of local people had worked over the course of many months trying to protect important local forest roads from closure.

When the Commissioners signed the agreement, they authorized the USFS to write the Baker County position for the Travel Management Plan resulting in Baker County’s position stating, “National Forest System lands within the county closed unless designated as open to motor vehicle use.”

Commissioner Fred Warner Jr. now claims that the Baker County position makes Baker County look bad. The Commissioners allowed the USFS to take the lead during the Travel Management Plan in Baker County and they knew full well what was at stake. It is disingenuous for Warner Jr. now to claim that he has concerns over Baker County’s position for the Travel Management Plan. If Warner Jr. and the other two Commissioners really had problems with the county position, they’d exercise the termination clause in that agreement they signed.

Regardless of what they say, your Baker County Commissioners are cooperating with the USFS to close access to the forest lands in Baker County. The stance the Baker County Commissioners have taken during the Travel Management Plan violates a local law, Baker County Ordinance 2001-01, and they should be held accountable. The local media has done nothing to share the whole story.   

Brian Addison

Baker City

Size limit on donated clothes?

To the editor:

I would like to comment on the article on clothing donations. I think it is a wonderful thing to do. I am all about doing whatever I can to make a difference in someone’s life. I love to help.

However, I have a few questions about this. Why can the donations only go to size 18? Are all the women of this town all under the size of 18? I don’t think so.

I would like to speak for the women of size and ask, how can we help if we can, how can we be helped if we need it? Just because we are over the size of 18, is our clothing not up to your standards? Is it not worthy of our donation?

Please, your insight on this would help me understand the situation a whole lot better.   

Tricia Ball

Baker City