Letters to the editor Jan. 19

Sans 'cops,' forest plan doomed

| The New Mexican

1/19/2008 - 1/19/08

The Forest Service is drafting its controversial travel management rule intended to manage off-highway vehicle (OHV) traffic in the Santa Fe National Forest. It will go into effect in early 2010 and will restrict OHVs to specifically designated roads and trails in an attempt to curb the increasingly disrespectful abuse of public lands.

The tuna fishing industry in the Mediterranean Sea operates under a stringent set of international regulations designed to limit the abuses that activity is prone to. Because no one is enforcing the regulations, the abuses are increasing exponentially, while the corporations driving the situation jockey for position to claim the last tuna.

The Forest Service has no plan for enforcement of the travel management rule, and does not even have a budget for such a plan. So who's going to get the last tree?

Tom Brady
Santa Fe

Take threat seriously
There are only two law enforcement officers on the Santa Fe National Forest to rein in the growing number of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and SUVs. Nationwide, each officer is responsible for enforcing laws on 300,000 acres — an area roughly half the size of Rhode Island — and there are one-third fewer officers than a decade ago. In addition, officers are not allowed to pursue or detain renegade riders, and the riders know it. We need more cops on the beat with greater law enforcement authority. Only then will Forest Service efforts to manage motorized recreation be taken seriously.

Sam Hitt
Santa Fe

A different view
Christus Health, being a Catholic organization, must, of necessity, have a very different view of reproductive and end-of-life issues than the non-Catholic community in Santa Fe. If they would not allow some of this care that we now expect, then I and many members of the community would be very opposed to this merger.

On the other hand, if they would allow this care to continue, they would be violating their own principles. So how can we trust an organization that is willing to violate its own principles. Why does Christus Health not look for a Catholic hospital with which to merge?

William S. Varnum
Santa Fe

Our man Bill
Man, is it nice to have the governor back in state! In just a few days, he laid a six-month ban on drilling in the Galisteo Basin and told the Bureau of Land Management that their drill-at-all-costs attitude on Otero Mesa just won't fly. Now that's a leader!

The oil and gas industry is completely out of hand in New Mexico. It operates with impunity, running roughshod over our laws, our health, our long-term economic well-being and our private property. It's gone on long enough. If the oil and gas industry wants to operate in our state, they'd better start respecting our laws and the needs and desires of our citizens and communities.

As for the BLM, it should take heed. The Bush administration is nearly kaput, and the next administration is not going to look too favorably upon those bureaucrats who put the whims of the oil and gas industry above the will of the average American.

Jim O'Donnell
Arroyo Hondo

Gov. Bill Richardson proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is fearless. The oil and gas drilling threat in the Galisteo Basin will wreak havoc on the water, the landscape and historical sites, not to mention the movie and tourist economy. He is standing by his belief in alternative methods for energy production.

The idea the county may have to use "expensive" legal means to stop this threat poses a question. The county knew without a doubt if it went ahead and sold mineral rights to Tecton, it would certainly cause an uproar among the community. Why didn't they make it more public before the fact in this very important debate, especially in view of ongoing worries about water?

The cost of fighting this shortsighted sale is nothing compared to what the costs will be over a 50-year period. The movement against this possible fiasco must continue if we are to support the governor to protect our "interests" against corporate greed as Tecton "considers" its next move.

Sina Brush
Stanley

Welcome home to Gov. Richardson, who immediately put in place the six-month oil-and-gas drilling moratorium last week "to allow time to ensure the protection of water, archaeological resources, and fragile ecosystems in the Galisteo Basin." It was a bold and liberating initiative that he took — on behalf of Santa Fe County residents. We are so pleased that he has heard our pleas and acted on our behalf to do the right thing!

Many of us are working relentlessly with our county officials to create the strongest oil- and gas-ordinance in the West. We want the ordinance to be visionary in scope and strictly protective of our "one of a kind" resources. The governor has given us the critical gift of time to work it out right with our officials. We want the end product to be something that he can be proud of as an ongoing leader.

Betsy Siwula-Brandt
Cerrillos

Payback time
How ignorant can people be? Gov. Bill Richardson received applause for saying that his current job is the best he ever had. Then why was he looking for a new one? What a waste of $22 million. And he got us to buy him a new jet to play the part in.

But don't worry; he knows who contributed, who applauded and who stood up and who didn't. And probably the reason he is not throwing his support behind any of the other presidential candidates yet is that he is a person of convenience. When he sees a clear winner, or when one of them offers him a position in their administration, then the time will be right.

David Ortiz
San Juan Pueblo