Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Don't plunder wilderness

U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowki, President Bush and representatives from the oil industry have falsely argued that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a barren wasteland. This description is designed to make drilling in the arctic more acceptable to the American public. In fact, the refuge contains our nation's greatest and most beautiful wilderness. No conservation area in America contains as much vast wild land, free of industrialization.

The arctic refuge is an endless array of beauty, from the ice-choked Beaufort Sea to the flower-specked coastal plain, from the glacier-carved valleys to the majestic Brooks mountain range. The coastal plain is the heart of the refuge, and - most importantly - every niche of the coastal plain is critical habit for a vast array of animal life, including the land-denning polar bear, the porcupine caribou and a large variety of migrating birds.

Drilling in the arctic refuge would not only mar the refuge's beauty, it would put these animals in jeopardy as well. It would be a mistake to plunder what is the essence of our country's wilderness heritage.

JOHANNA VOSS Eugene

Suggestions for peace

Supposedly most Americans support Bush's policies, but no pollster ever asked my opinion or the opinions of my friends. He has set out to trash all the environmental policy gains made under previous administrations and seems to be leading us into financial disaster. So I'm exercising my American right to disagree and also offer some reasons why Islamic fundamentalists respond to an Osama bin Laden, who, incidentally, the United States - in opposing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan - put into a position of power.

The United States ranks last among advantaged nations in the percentage of gross national product dedicated to foreign economic aid, but it ranks first in military spending and proliferation of weapons. We have unilaterally imposed our selfish policies, including bombing campaigns, declaring civilian deaths regrettable but "acceptable." We have supported authoritarian, even terrorist, regimes around the world to gain trade advantages or to secure resources - i.e., oil. Our materialistic system of values is an affront to the Muslims. Well, it's an affront to many Christians, too, and no religious group is free of its destructive fundamentalists.

Some suggestions: 1) Help find more peaceful and just solutions to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. 2) Through international (United Nations) organizations, invest in development and education and encourage social reforms, including family planning. 3) Join Arab and other leaders to find ways that can help solve the many problems around the world. 4) Stop military aid to all foreign governments and reduce, rather than increase, our own military build-up.

EVELYN McCONNAUGHEY Eugene

Glimpse of Eugene history

I appreciated the the wonderful section in the newspaper regarding the Baker family and area businesses (Register-Guard, March 3).

As a non-native - I've only been here since 1965 - the section provided so much history of Eugene and the people behind the scenes. I'm sure there are many other family businesses in our area; I hope the newspaper will do another section sometime. It provided a valuable glimpse of Eugene history and the wonderful people who make our city what it is today.

ROBERTA NELSON Eugene

Flat lands important

Samuel L. Kelder (letters, March 5) is missing the point if he thinks it is OK to drill in an area because it is flat. From the many maps I have looked at regarding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the area that the administration wants to drill backs right up to the Brooks Range. While the picture that The Register-Guard printed may not be typical, it could very well be part of the area under consideration for drilling.

The arctic region under consideration for drilling is an ecologically sensitive area, whether flat, mountainous or in-between. Kelder seems to imply that it would be OK to drill in ANWR because it is as "flat as your kitchen table" and marshy. Flat, marshy lands are just as important, if not more important, than any other land in the arctic region. They provide important calving grounds for caribou and are important to other arctic life forms.

For most environmentalists, I don't think it comes down to the aesthetics of the region but rather saving one of the most pristine areas left in our nation from unnecessary development. Promotion of renewable energies should be under consideration instead of drilling for oil that will only help us in the short run.

WILL VAN VACTOR Eugene

On influencing Cheney

To the General Accounting Office and anyone else concerned about the contents of Vice President Dick Cheney's documents outlining who said what to whom when Cheney was formulating national energy policy: Relax.

There is nothing that Enron's CEO or any other energy executive could have offered to that policy that Cheney wouldn't already have thought of. They might have made unconstitutional or politically suicidal suggestions, but Cheney was appointed to his office by the U.S. Supreme Court to finish off the work begun by the first Republican Congress elected to office in more than 40 years - the final destruction of all those hard-won, pesky protections of the environment and consumers. There can be no undue influence when the person to be influenced has no opposition to the aims of those who would influence him.

SANFORD SILVER Eugene

New threat to plovers

The March 4 article on predator threats to survival of the Western snowy plover accurately appraised the recovery effort. It listed threats including loss of habitat due to proliferation of European beachgrass and potential impacts of human activity around nest sites. The article referred to the modest seasonal beach closures that protect the nesting plovers from human disturbance.

These dry-sand closures have been accepted by most, but some individuals and organizations value unlimited motorized beach access over survival of a species. As a result, a new threat has surfaced in Coos County, has spread to Florence and will shortly be visiting the chambers of the Lane County Board of Commissioners.

The plover is listed as threatened by the state and under the federal Endangered Species Act. Coos County commissioners have taken an official position supporting delisting, which will result in extinction of the snowy plover on Oregon and Washington state beaches. They have also enlisted the Florence Chamber of Commerce to sign on to a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the critical habitat designation for the plover. Their theory is that if critical habitat designations are temporarily abolished, as they seek in this suit, the Bush administration will never pursue new designations, thus harming the recovery effort.

Humboldt County, Calif., and Curry County have already rejected solicitations from Coos commissioners to join in the suit, and now Coos has targeted Lane County as a potential co-litigant. Lane County residents should make sure their commissioners know that allowing a species to go extinct so some people can have a little more beach for their recreational activities is morally wrong and not good policy.

RAY NOLAN Coos Bay

Water-guzzling plant

As a member of Save Our Valley, I'd like to respond to the Feb. 24 article about Gary Marcus and Coburg Power's proposed natural gas-fired power plant north of Coburg. My major concern is water. According to CH2M Hill (a fine engineering firm) and Marcus, the plant would use 1,300 gallons per minute, which translates to 1.872 million gallons per 24-hour day. That's enough water to supply a city the size of Junction City on a daily basis!

Water is only a partially renewable resource (witness last year!), and as time goes by, it will become the hot commodity of tomorrow. Using this huge amount of water for cooling will seriously impact all of the surrounding wells for some distance, both for domestic and irrigation uses, resulting in a solids and sludge combo being discharged into the Willamette River - look out, Harrisburg!

Also, the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (read paper tiger) says not to worry about any acid rain that might fall on the portion of the Coburg hills that's in Linn County - out of its jurisdiction!! Wow, with protection like that, I really feel safe.

C.W. (JIM) BROUGHTON Coburg

Student plan heartening 

I was heartened by The Register-Guard's March 5 story about the plan of Bret Force, student body treasurer, and Gregory Dunkin, a student body senator, at Lane Community College for students to pay substantially increased tuition and a new parking fee in order to keep important LCC programs from being cut due to a revenue shortfall.

Their willingness to sacrifice personally for the common good is an inspiration for us all.

MARY L. REESE Eugene