Letter to the editor

We did our job

Andy Stahl Feb. 15, 1999 From the print edition
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  Dear HCN,


In Ted Williams' original commentary on Nevada land exchanges, as it appeared in Fly Rod and Reel magazine, Williams wrote that the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics had an "obligation" to report on the Office of Inspector General investigation (HCN, 12/21/98). We agree. That's why we did.


It may also interest your readers to know that the Seattle Times ran a week-long special on land exchanges, including a major story on the Nevada exchanges reported previously in FSEEE's Inner Voice magazine. For its reporting, which matches in substance our story, the Seattle Times received the Natural Resources Defense Council's prestigious John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism.


Finally, many land exchanges in the Intermountain Southwest fuel suburban sprawl in Reno, Las Vegas, Tucson (HCN, 1/18/99), Phoenix, and other rapidly growing cities. But for these land exchanges, developers would be hemmed in by federally owned open space. Those who promote land exchanges to protect wild lands need to consider the environmental consequences on this other side of the equation, too.





Andy Stahl


Eugene, Oregon





The writer is FSEEE's executive director.





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