Letters to the editor, March 2023
Comments from readers.
IMMERSIVE AND INFORMATIVE
Thank you for “Glen Canyon Revealed” (February 2023). Craig Childs did an outstanding job educating me about Lake Powell and the current dangers to the Colorado River ecosystem. I felt like I was right there with him, experiencing the aftereffects of what humans have done to disrupt the entire river system by building Glen Canyon Dam. The article was truly a masterpiece.
Dan Rosenthal
Salida, Colorado
Craig Childs did an excellent job balancing preserving Lake Powell versus draining it to a single reservoir in Lake Mead. I was surprised not to see any reference to Powell’s water loss from evaporation and bank seepage, estimated by the Glen Canyon Institute at 860,000 acre-feet annually. Evaporative loss should be part of the equation in determining Powell’s future.
Michael Powers
Phoenix, Arizona
A MEANINGFUL ESSAY
“The Glass Shelf” (February 2023) is one of my favorite recent essays. There’s so much about our moms and grandmothers we never know or appreciate.
Rusty Austin
Rancho Mirage, California
“The Glass Shelf” gave me chills! Jenise Miller described my mother, her big stereo and glass shelf. Oldest of 11 children, she had very little growing up and worked hard for a better life. I never understood or thought about what glass meant to her until I read Miller’s powerful thoughts. She worked outside the home and double-time at home — sewed my clothes and my doll clothes, canned pickles, jelly and applesauce. She worked so hard. You opened my eyes. I am grateful.
Janis Smith
Colorado
SOLAR INSPIRATION
Thank you for pointing out that public lands aren’t the best places for solar power (“Save public lands: Put solar on Walmart!” February 2023).
Your headline singled out Walmart. But when it comes to solar, Walmart isn’t a corporate bad-guy: It has a commitment to “zero emissions across its global operations by 2040” (without relying on carbon offsets) and a program to cover its roofs and parking lots with solar panels. Target has well over 500 stores with solar panels and one with 1,800 solar carports.
Let’s keep solar development close to home and protect our wild lands.
Deborah D. Stewart
Seattle, Washington
OREGON’S WILDFIRE RISK
In “Fire risk map ignites controversy” (January 2023) I was quoted making an off-handed, half-joking comment regarding Oregon’s map that, taken out of context, could be taken as dismissive or disrespectful.
It was neither. Scientists and policymakers are struggling admirably to find solutions to Oregon’s increasingly serious wildfire risk. Given limited time and resources, the map released in June 2022 was excellent at representing landscape-scale wildfire hazard. However, the data were not capable of providing accurate tax lot-scale analysis of susceptibility and risk, which landowners understandably thought it was meant to provide.
Oregon recognizes the problem of the misalignment of the wildfire map and public expectations and recently postponed its release indefinitely. While I wish I had used less colorful wording, I’m gratified that Oregon has come to that conclusion and will not re-release a landscape-scale wildfire map without reassessing how it can be used more effectively and with greater public support.
Peter Walker
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
SOLUTIONS NEEDED
“The Body of the Snake” (January 2023) focused on the pros of dam removal and barely gave a nod to its impacts. Our family farmer transports 124 semi-truck loads of grain per year to the Lewiston port on the Snake, taking several hours for the 50-mile round-trip journey. Without barges, they’d have to truck crops to the Tri-Cities, a 300-mile round trip. Multiplied times many farmers, the net effect would be heavy truck traffic throughout the region, significant fossil fuel use, and an extreme hardship on family farmers.
Trains are at capacity, hauling more lucrative oil and coal to West Coast ports. Saving salmon is important, but so are viable solutions for those impacted by dam removal.
Lisa Therrell
Asotin, Washington
NEW AND IMPROVED
I subscribed to HCN decades ago and enjoyed it for years until it drifted into a place where most of the articles were just anti-everything and critical without taking much of a look at all sides. At that point, I let my subscription run out.
Having worked in natural resource management for over 30 years, I know firsthand these issues are complex and multifaceted, and that just slamming everything moves the ball backwards, adds to the confusion and misinformation and further divides us.
Fast forward to 2022, when my son gave me a subscription for Christmas. Wow! What a difference. The writing and depth of the articles are a huge improvement, and they read more objectively. I’ve received two issues so far, read them cover to cover, enjoyed every minute and learned a lot. As they say: “This isn’t your father’s HCN.” It’s a lot better. Thanks for the great reporting.
Andy Kulla
Florence, Montana
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