Congratulations to you, the staff, and the HCN board for your in-depth reporting on environmental and natural resource issues in the West. Ideally, we would also prefer emphasis on collaborative efforts to manage land, water, and wildlife. Unfortunately, at the behest of its right-wing constituents, the Bush administration is dismembering environmental protection and cloaking these actions in doublespeak produced by its corporate lobbyists and admen. As with the fraud perpetrated to justify the "pre-emptive" war in Iraq, the jury is still out in deciding the degree to which the voting public will buy into the administration’s fraudulent approach to environmental issues.

In this Orwellian political environment, the straightforward, in-depth reporting by HCN provides an essential role to help ensure an informed voting public on resource issues. Please do not compromise your outstanding work in deference to those who would shoot the messenger for exposing facts they do not want to hear.

Doyle McClure
Colfax, Washington