YOU NEVER KNOW
Rue Mapp’s essay “The conversations we don’t have about safety outdoors” (August 2026) was thoughtful and well-written — especially given her observations on why other people’s reaction to your presence in “their outdoor space” may not be what you think it is.
I was reminded of a time decades ago. Kayaking a difficult rapid north of Buena Vista, Colorado, I could not avoid passing near an ancient fisherman standing knee-deep in the river. Close encounters between anglers and whitewater boaters, I feared, resulted only in ugliness. As I passed, he opened his mouth, his dry lower lip cracked, a drop of blood fell into the river, and he shouted at me: “That looks funner than hell. If I was a hundred years younger, I would be out there with ya!” Well, he is with me now wherever I go. People aren’t always thinking what we think they are thinking.
Randy Welch
Lakewood, Colorado
A MORE-THAN-EMINENT SCIENTIST
In the article “On Mount Shasta, a photographic record outlasts living memory,” (July 14, 2026) Jason Dove Mark provides an excellent narrative of this unique and rich data record of Western U.S. glaciers. I appreciate that he addresses some of the people involved and the role that citizen science can play in contributing to peer-reviewed research on this topic.
However, I think that the editorial lens through which he views the broad collaborative effort to capture glacier change through photography misses the mark. In particular, although Andrew Fountain is described as “eminent,” that adjective falls short of illuminating his decades of contribution to the body of research in glaciology in Oregon, throughout the West and in Antarctica. His “more than 10,000 photos” testify to the volume of just one facet of his research history. We all carry “weariness” and “certain depression,” across all scientific disciplines. Research professionals have seen funding sources eviscerated and eliminated, yet still publish, build and contribute to the body of science, even as the juggernaut of fossil fuel capitalism wreaks generational havoc. An outdated website and server infrastructure are IT problems, not a sign of waning care for the research and vanishing glaciers. The professionals who’ve been working to preserve this record of change in natural systems are not bunglers; they are champions.
Michael Boeder
Portland, Oregon
FREE THE RIVERS. REMOVE THE DAMS!
The June 2026 issue, which featured articles on hydrology, was superb. The two feature articles on the Columbia and McKenzie rivers were engaging, comprehensive, balanced and well-written.
Restoration projects such as these are to be encouraged, not only for their beneficial effects on endangered salmon runs but to determine to what degree, and where, they work. Long-term monitoring is essential. However, true restoration of salmon populations will not occur without a holistic watershed view of impediments to migratory species, i.e., dams. The Klamath River dam removal/riparian restoration project provides proof of how quickly salmon runs can recover if given free rein.
Karen Sjogren
Salem, Oregon
TIME TO FIGHT BACK
Jeff Guay’s article (“The surprising socialist history of the Rocky Mountains,” June 2026) was a good introduction, but it only scratched the surface. Readers wanting to know more would be rewarded by reading Strike!, The Rebel Girl, Democracy, and Revolution, and American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis. The oligarchs and their partners in government have always acted to ruthlessly and violently suppress the rights of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions. Current events in our country make it more important than ever for citizens to be aware of our labor history.
George Bacon
Montrose, Colorado
Jeff Guay’s question about who will take on powerful interests is a good one. We all have to stand up. There are a lot more common citizens in this country than wealthy ones, and we’re going to have to use our sheer numbers and power to put the oligarchs in their proper place. The wealthiest 10% of people in this country spew 50% of the carbon emissions that are driving our planet and wildlife to ruin, and we pay them to do it whenever we purchase their products. While it’s pretty hard to buy a computer or car without contributing to extremely high CEO salaries, we can make a big difference with the food we eat and the products, pesticides and the energy that we use every day, which are the largest contributors to carbon emissions. Buy local, buy organic, stay away from beef and dairy, get off fossil fuels. Change will have to come from the grass roots on this one.
Julie Smith
Golden, Colorado
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