The Oct. 30 letter, "More octane please," perpetuates a myth about octane, but is right about ethanol. Many people think the higher the octane rating, the greater the power. Not true. Octane ratings refer to the anti-knock qualities of the gasoline. Higher compression engines need higher octane gasoline to prevent pinging or knocking that can damage the engine. Due to the thinner air at higher altitudes, lower-octane levels work because the manifold and cylinder pressures are reduced. The recommended 87 percent octane is for low-altitude driving and is not necessary at high altitudes like ours.

Lower gas mileage is due to the added 10 percent ethanol. Ethanol has less energy than gasoline. The energy in a gallon of ethanol is 76,000 BTU; in gasoline it is 116,000 BTU. When the entire process of making, shipping and using ethanol from corn is considered, it's apparent that it's an environmental disaster on several levels and should be stopped.


Questions hunt

I was deeply saddened by the Oct. 29 article, "Montana wolf hunt stalked by controversy."

I am a supporter of hunting, fishing, shooting, etc. What bothers me is trying to control an endangered species of any kind through hunting. After all, it is we who have invaded their territory and forced them to move into smaller hunting areas, many of which are minimal for their survival. The wolves can tell the difference between an elk and a cow. Why can't hunters temper their desire for a trophy to something other than a research project?

Why can't there be a buffer zone around a place like Yellowstone to further protect the endangered species, and why can't the excess species be captured and relocated to another area where they have also been decimated by poaching or disease? To me, shooting a wolf would be akin to shooting your neighbor's dog!


Dead wolf says all

As I saw the golden, yet dead, eyes of wolf B527 starring out at the world from the pages of your paper, I sensed the questions she asked: "Why do you hunt and destroy the very creatures and life that make this world livable and a thing of wonder? You kill and devastate each other as you ruin your home in the pursuit of the goals of profit, prestige and position. How will you answer for your deeds when future generations wonder how you squandered the greatest gift of wealth and resources that could be bestowed, and denied those same gifts to the other beings of the world? Your inability to integrate into the world, and stay in the dance of nature will be and is now the essence of your downfall."

The officials, the hunter and all of us should be embarrassed to be human.


Eat dog Spam?

Is it just me, or do others find it bizarre that the Española Valley Humane Society, which dedicates itself to saving as many homeless animals as possible, sponsored a Spam-carving contest at its annual fundraiser? Spam's main ingredient is pig. Why chop up pigs, who are arguably smarter than dogs and certainly as sentient, while working hard to find homes for dogs and cats? Shouldn't animal advocates promote the concept of respect for all animals, not just for those who are here on Earth to serve as our beloved pets? Writer Jonathan Safran Foer recently suggested in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that it would make more sense if Americans ate dogs, too, instead of wasting delicious meat by sending their euthanized bodies to rendering plants to be mixed into livestock feed and pet food. So how about dog Spam for the next carving contest?


Cows not welcome

If the Quivira Coalition really wants to celebrate legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold, it would support cow-free wilderness and condemn illegal killing of endangered wolves by renegade ranchers. Instead, Quivira distorts Leopold's legacy to include the economic interests of the livestock industry.

Leopold accurately diagnosed the cause of spreading deserts, degraded waterways and loss of wildlife as beginning with the trampling of bovine bulldozers, especially along fragile streamsides. He pioneered wilderness preservation and helped us appreciate the role of Mexican wolves in maintaining healthy grasslands and forests, a fact still vehemently denied by most ranchers.

Leopold believed along with Henry David Thoreau that "in wildness is the preservation of the world." Let's not ignore this lesson to save ranchers from their own short-sighted abuses.