Ruining a good program
On July 6, there was an article in the Lewiston Tribune about Russ Fulcher wanting to do away with the Pittman-Robertson Act. This is a tax on sporting goods that has been an effective income source for fish and game departments for wildlife studies and habitat improvement. It also helps with hunter youth programs and public shooting ranges.
The Lewis-Clark Wildlife Club has been a recipient of this tax on sporting goods. It has helped us continue to improve the range as a safe and fun shooting venue.
Maybe Fulcher needs to get out and see what good this tax does instead of ruining a good program that has been in place for 85 years.
All the time I have spent out at the range shooting or as a range officer, I have yet to hear any one complaint about this tax.
Get off the far right stance and support this effective source of income that is a good benefit for our fish and game programs. Nobody pays this tax unless they purchase sporting goods.
Wake up, Russ.
Mike Lorenz
Lewiston
Elect Arkoosh
Idaho’s great attorney general, Lawrence Wasden, will leave office in January.
Our latent congressional Rep. Raul Labrador, whose failed performance in office extended to a failed gubernatorial bid, won Idaho’s GOP closed primary this spring. Wasden saved Idaho many legal battles which Labrador doesn’t have the acumen to handle. Labrador spoke his ignorance in Lewiston during the governor’s race: “No one dies from lack of access to health care.”
My decadelong experience with Congressman Labrador during the Lochsa Land Exchange showed his character. He was the most resistant member of our congressional delegation to acknowledge the land exchange scam despite overwhelming opposition from U.S. Forest Service employees and all who valued public lands access.
Sen. Jim Risch finally listened, yet Labrador refused to attend scheduled meetings with public stakeholders.
Thankfully Idaho native Tom Arkoosh is on the ballot, an independent on the Democratic ticket.
Arkoosh’s legal skill will maintain Wasden’s honorable professionalism, save taxpayer dollars and be a trusted seat on the state Land Board.
His strong qualifications in water law are integral for Idaho moving forward. No comparable skills are shared by his opponent.
Regardless of your political party, vote for Tom Arkoosh on Nov. 8.
Marilyn Beckett
Moscow
Climate threatens economy
On Sept. 20, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported that the Idaho Wheat Commission and the Taiwan Flour Mills Association signed a $576 million export agreement. The agreement will largely benefit north central Idaho wheat farmers. This is great news for our local economy. As farmers are more secure, so too are the economies of the areas in which they live and farm. This is exciting news.
At the same time, I’m worried about the effects of changing climate and therefore changing weather patterns on that same economy.
Changes in the timing and amount of spring rain and fall frost can affect crop yields.
In 2021, drought conditions across the West drove down wheat production. Agricultural production and economics are complicated, but unpredictable weather makes for unpredictable crops. And that can’t be good for the economy that depends on them.
In June, the Republican Party published a six-part plan to deal with climate change.
One of its commitments was to building resilient communities.
In a community where so much of the economy depends on agriculture and so much of agriculture is affected by changing weather and climate, I want to know: What concrete plans do our elected officials and candidates have to forestall growing weather unpredictability and help us be more resilient in the face of climate change?
Casey Johnson
Moscow
Dam facts not fishy
Richard Scully recently wrote a column challenging Marvin Dugger’s assertions. His first point — whether fish harvest below Bonneville Dam during the 1938-1947 period when Bonneville was the only dam could be accurately counted or whether it is speculative — is immaterial.
His point about returning fish numbers being relatively stable during the 20th century because declining harvest matched declining returning fish numbers also is not important at this point.
The following facts are indisputable.
The 10-year average from 1938 to 1947 — when only Bonneville Dam blocked returning fish — was 127,000 steelhead. This number remained fairly stable (Charlie Pottinger’s graph referred to in Dugger’s Aug. 28 column) until the year 2000 when we had a dramatic increase, up to five times the number of returning steelhead.
The two biggest return years were preceded by the two biggest barging years. A paper published by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, “Row, Row Your Smolts Gently Down the Stream,” demonstrates that barging is the most effective way to get our smolts past the dams.
In 2021, river managers barged the lowest percentage of smolts ever barged combined with the highest water spill levels. The following numbers have been published by the Idaho Fish and Game.
As of Aug. 9, 37% of our steelhead should have returned past Bonneville. The vast majority should be 1-ocean A-run steelhead but A-run fish are only making up 7% of the run. That means the first class of 2021 outmigrating fish are returning in extraordinarily low numbers.
Rusty Bentz
Lewiston
