LETTERS WRITE ONE LETTER.

Most of us are aware that Placerita Canyon Park and Nature Center could be closed effective July 1 due to Los Angeles County and state budget shortfalls.

We are mad, sad; we wring our hands, but we don't often take action.

The docents at Placerita Canyon Nature Center, however, think there is something we all can do to keep Placerita from closing - write a letter. Just one letter addressed to the chairman and members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and sent to this address:

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 383 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA, 90012-2761 - Attn.: Violet Varona-Lukens, executive office.

Your letter will be reproduced and forwarded to all five supervisors.

Need ideas for your letter? Go to www.placerita.org, call [phone] or come on over to the nature center. It is still a beehive of activity because the docents are running most of the programs now - and doing a great job.

- Judy McClure

Canyon Country

Check the books

The story in the May 21 Daily News regarding the Bella Via Festival raises more questions than it answers. Marlee Lauffer of The Newhall Land and Farming Company claims that last year's event cost in excess of $500,000, but over four years, the event has only raised $70,000 for local schools art programs?

Perhaps the Daily News could publish the event's expenditures from last year's event. Aren't the artists sponsored by local businesses? Where does the money go?

Wouldn't it be more beneficial to the schools if Newhall Land simply made a donation of $500,000 in lieu of the event?

- Bruce Van Wetter

Val Verde

Protect the birds

Regarding your May 23 article related to tree trimming, I and other nature lovers are not opposed to tree trimming. We are, however, opposed to taking down and or harassing migratory birds. We are also very confused with the attitude of Marty Wall of the California Department of Fish and Games.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act clearly states that it is a violation to harass and take migratory birds, their nests or their eggs. Further, the laws prohibits take or harassment of birds whether they are nesting in cities or in the forest. It's illegal, and I would suggest that Mr. Wall get himself acquainted with these laws if he intends on educating the public.

The city's response was most inappropriate. We recognize the city is not the Audubon Society - if it were we might have some hills to look at, and the birds might actually be in those hills instead of housing developments.

And as far as the birds still being in the tree with nests, the only reason those birds didn't make it to the wood chipper is because I stopped the workers from taking it down.

- Teresa Savaikie

Saugus

A danger to kids

The following statements appear in the May 17 Daily News.

``Perchlorate has been shown to interfere with thyroid function and pose a danger to the development of infants in concentrations as low as 1 part per billion, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.''

It is not quite correct. The 1 ppb level is the level at which EPA believes that there is a sufficient margin of safety below the level at which adverse health effects might occur. They had placed a factor of 300 in their derivation of the 1 ppb level.

They had concluded that the lowest adverse effect level was 0.01 mg/kg- day or 0.7 mg/day for a 70 kg adult. In a two-liter daily ingestion, this would be the same as a level of 350 ppb. A 300 safety (uncertainty) factor brings this to 1.17 ppb potassium perchlorate or 0.99 ppb perchlorate ion.

I got this information from the executive summary of a Jan. 16 EPA report.

- Steven H. Lamn, M.D.

Washington, D.C.

Speeding away

Regarding the May 9 story in the Daily News, ``Council to back speed bill.'' Geez, is this a joke or what? What a waste of time this is going to be. There is so much speeding going on in the Santa Clarita Valley, and we don't have enough sheriff's personnel to enforce it. What difference would it make to change the speed limits? Waste my tax money on new signs?

I drive into the San Fernando Valley every weekday on The Old Road between Calgrove and Balboa boulevards, and the speed limit is 50 mph. It has become the Autobahn through there with motorists going 75-plus. I've complained to the California Highway Patrol office on a number of occasions, but nothing is ever done.

It is getting progressively worse as homes continue to spring up here in the Santa Clarita Valley and traffic thickens. I guess someone has to get killed on these streets before anything is done, and then it is too late. Why even have speed limits if no one is going to enforce them?

- Rikki Kirchner

Newhall