A post-dam vision
What is your vision of the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley once the lower Snake River dams are breached?
Here is what I see:
* Lewiston-Clarkston Valley with restored rivers, both the Snake and Clearwater.
* Rejuvenated, naturally formed, large, beautiful swimming beaches that everyone in the valley can enjoy for free.
* A healthy, attractive riparian zone.
* Multiple privately owned and managed on-the-water boat docks, boat sales and service marinas and launching ramps.
* Walking trails with easy access to the river for fishing, wading, swimming and retriever dog training.
* Natural river runs, riffles and pools that hold steelhead, salmon and resident sport fish, ideal for year-round, high-quality fishing, both from shore and boats.
* Recovery of Idaho’s and eastern Washington’s and Oregon’s wild salmon and steelhead, the economically, socially, culturally and environmentally self-sustaining iconic natural resource of the Inland Northwest.
* A return to Native Americans of a major component of their heritage that was to remain intact according to their treaty with the U.S. government.
* An expansion of river recreation businesses providing fishing, rafting and power boat merchandise, riverfront restaurants and tourist lodging.
* No more riprap walls that prevent river access.
* Gateway to 140 downriver miles of beautiful natural river, with quality shoreline and island riparian habitat and vast valley lands (14,000 acres) for orchards and wildlife habitat.
* Jet boat or luxury tour bus trips between Lewiston and Pasco, and the continuance of Hells Canyon tour boat trips upriver from Lewiston.
Richard Scully
Lewiston
Questions for cattlemen
I have some questions for cattlemen about the National Cattle and Beef Association.
First and foremost, I’d like to know why any of you would support the NCBA when they quit supporting you a long time ago, starting when they partnered with the meatpacking industry? They oppose mandatory country of origin labeling laws, favor importing meat from countries known to have disease while labeling that meat a product of the USA, then have the audacity to say we need radio frequency ID tags so if we have a disease outbreak in the U.S. we can trace it back to the producer immediately.
The real reason, of course, is to give the meat packers total control over the industry. We already have the means to trace disease. With the ear tag requirement comes property registration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture followed by an inspector to ensure that you’re doing everything “sustainably” and not creating exccess methane.
Now to add a final piece to this puzzle of perplexity, the NCBA partnered with the World Wildlife Fund which promotes reducing beef consumption.
If all this is supposed to help the cattlemen, I shudder to think what it would look like if they turn against us. Your response would be appreciated. Please tell me why you still support the NCBA.
Bob Vickaryous
Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Language was slaughtered
In her recent letter to the editor, Judith T. Parrish lamented the increasingly sloppy use of the English language, concluding “Thus, is the English language impoverished.”
For those of us who use closed captioning on TV, the English language is not just impoverished, it’s slaughtered. Here’s this from CNN: “Urine the situation room with Wolf Blitzer.”
Unbelievable.
Dody Dozier
Moscow
