Letter to the editor

I was one who applauded HCN’s graphics changes as they were being introduced, but you do seem to have overdone it with the March 20 issue, and not just in terms of graphics: Color the articles by John Fayhee “yellow.” According to Fayhee, Realtors are nothing but ex-bartenders and/or day-laborers who got licensed online with […]

John Fayhee’s piece (HCN, 3/20/06: Town Shopping) raises a lot of the usual questions, but one he avoided is this: Are those of us who bemoan the gentrification of the West guilty of romanticizing poverty? An acquaintance in Santa Fe once commented that the area around Taos was “Cabrini Green with better scenery” — that is, […]

M. John Fayhee struck a chord with me in his article “Town Shopping” (HCN, 3/20/06: Town Shopping). It has always been my dream to move to a small town in the desert and enjoy the ambience and peace. After reading the article, I have to admit this is a pipe dream.  Even if I found an […]

Salvation for salmon will not come through reading Brett Wilkison’s completely decontexualized piece on salmon and dams (HCN, 3/06/06: Fishermen blamed for salmon troubles). The threats to the well-being of salmon are very complex. Yes, for certain runs of salmon, dams have had huge detrimental effects. But the evidence shows these salmon runs have continued to […]

In your story “Spotted owl or red herring?” you state that critical habitat for the northern spotted owl was never implemented (HCN, 3/20/06: Spotted owl or red herring?). While it is true that there is no critical habitat for the spotted owl on private or state lands, it does exist on federal lands. Although the Fish […]

I am surprised HCN pulled out one of those old stories about hunters slaughtering buffalo and retreaded it (HCN, 2/6/06: The Killing Fields). Why on earth does HCN want to vilify hunters who are their major allies in the conservation wars? HCN is the only journal I know back on that old “slaughter” kick. Montana […]

Regarding your recent story on global warming, lest your readers think Diesel Fumes, Colo., (also known as Aspen) is environmental, let me assure them it is not (HCN, 3/6/06: Save Our Snow). Mayor Klanderud has been in office for six years, and under her leadership, the city council has approved the most development projects ever, […]

While Dick Cheney and cronies hunt on 50,000-acre private ranches (ignore the shooting accident for the moment), the administration is proposing to get rid of public lands that the rest of us can enjoy (HCN, 3/6/06: Public acres for sale). I resent that. Tom Budlong Los Angeles, California This article appeared in the print edition of […]

I was hoping you would resist the temptation to promote Brokeback Mountain, but you guys just can’t stop slopping to the left, faster and faster (HCN, 3/6/06: In hunting camp, the closet is closed). The more you New York intellectuals move to our sacred mountains, the more baggage you bring with you. The movie is a […]

Regarding David Stalling’s piece about being a gay, wolf-loving, tree-hugging, former Marine elk hunter — David, I’m inviting you to make the short drive from Missoula to have dinner at my house (HCN, 3/6/06: In hunting camp, the closet is closed). We are a happily married, heterosexual couple, and I’m certain we can help you see […]

Here in Phoenix, where we recently had over 120 days without rain, a record, I believe we are already seeing the results of global warming (HCN, 3/6/06: Save our snow). I’m not waiting for government officials to come to their senses. I got rid of the car; I telecommute. For local trips to the store or […]

If I understand Michelle Nijhuis correctly, the Bush administration’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Accord has unleashed dozens, if not hundreds, of local experiments in greenhouse gas reduction (HCN, 3/6/06: Save our snow). These efforts seem to define an ideal of democratic participation by matching appropriate technological responses with community-defined values. The result is that many […]

Please consider not using the term “eco-terrorist” or “eco-terrorism” (HCN, 2/6/06: The Latest Bounce). Individuals taking direct action often break the law. Sometimes they trespass and disobey lawful orders, and sometimes they destroy private and public property. These are crimes and the perpetrators should be charged, tried, and appropriately punished. In general, the worst crimes […]

Terrorism: The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons. And that was the intention of the individuals charged by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. I do not […]

Hoo-Wray for Pat Wray for revealing the far right-wing politics of the NRA (HCN, 1/23/06: What’s the NRA’s beef with roadless areas?). Anymore, the NRA is all about amassing dues-paying members to support the group’s anti-conservation lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. One way it does this is by appealing to the interests and pandering to […]

Regarding Mary Stange’s essay on place names, I grow very tired of those who want us to discard our history simply because it isn’t the kind of “Hollywood” pretty they demand it might be (HCN, 2/6/06: Living with the Ghosts of the Indian Wars). It is true that those Army generals of the mid-to-late 19th […]

The recent essay by Mary Stange suggested that Western maps are too filled with place names (like Custer’s) that Native Americans in particular find historically offensive, and that it is long past time to change those names (HCN, 2/6/06: Living with the ghosts of the Indian Wars). But I wonder if there might not be […]

Regarding your article on the economic development plans of the Hualapai Tribe (HCN, 2/20/06: Tribe brings on the tourists): Let me get this straight. You bring a bunch of porcine asses out from Las Vegas in air-conditioned, global-warming Hummer-Dummers to have lunch at a place called “Guano Point,” and then charge them $25 to use […]

I would like to compliment Sam Western on a well-written and insightful article (HCN, 12/26/05: A New Green Revolution). However, I am curious about the origin of the erroneous statement in the sidebar concerning universities and organic research: “While the Legislature provides some funding, companies such as Dow, Syngenta and Monsanto fund most of the […]

In your Feb. 6 editorial, you provide a great example of one common misunderstanding: “These days, hunters seem to rarely assert their political power toward conservation ends” (HCN, 2/6/06: Time for a little outrage). I would be the first to agree that some hunting groups let their reluctance to criticize Republicans get in the way […]