Letters
Caught in the Act
No matter how congressman Don Young of Alaska sugarcoats his proposed rewrite of the Endangered Species Act, what he's doing to the ESA is anything but a compromise ("It Came from the Outback," November). When moderate Republicans tried to persuade the House Resources Committee to approve a more reasonable bill, Chairman Young and his troops rolled right over them. The bill that Young authored would all but repeal the ESA; it is now awaiting action on the House floor. Polls show Americans favoring a strong ESA by a two-to-one margin, and Congress needs to hear more from those of us in the majority.

G. Jon Roush
President, The Wilderness Society
Washington, D.C.

Defenders of Wildlife appreciates Weston Kosova's excellent report on anti-environmentalists in the 104th Congress. As Kosova noted, both Defenders' and Young's recommendations for a rewrite of the ESA include economic incentives for property owners, but ours predate the bill introduced by Young and Congressman Richard Pombo of California. In fact, incentives as defined by Young and Pombo are a fraud that would make almost the entire ESA voluntary. Defenders is steadfastly and diametrically opposed to the Young-Pombo bill.

James K. Wyerman
Vice-President for Program Defenders of Wildlife
Washington, D.C.

County Lines
Outside and Mark Dowie came to Catron County on a whitewash mission and presented a distorted picture of the militancy of its citizens ("With Liberty and Firepower for All," November). There is a real story here and throughout the West--but not the one Dowie wrote. Our grasslands and streams are disappearing; our great Gila Wilderness is sick. Our ecosystem cannot take another 100 years of management by the Forest Service or of decision-making in Washington, D.C., by people who have never set foot in Catron County. Only local management can answer our concerns.

Hugh B. McKeen
Catron County Commissioner
Glenwood, New Mexico

I'd never heard of Catron County before I stopped last summer in Reserve, New Mexico, to refuel my car. The huge bear of a man who pumped my gas threatened my life, simply because I was wearing a T-shirt with an environmental message. It's getting scary out there.

Paul Shell
Tiger, Georgia

Tumult on the River
As a Peruvian, I was touched greatly by Tim Cahill's article on the tragic death of 26-year-old Patchen Miller in my country ("A Darkness on the River," November). I commend Cahill for explaining the context of the tumultuous political situation in Peru at the time of Miller's death and for fairly presenting the Aguaruna way of life. My most sincere condolences to Miller's family.

Keny Ruiz
Palm Harbor, Florida

Post-Peewee Perspective
Thanks to Hampton Sides for his enlightened and inspiring adult perspective on learning to snowboard ("Outta My Flight Path, Peewee!" December). I'm 27 years old and plan to take my first shot at snowboarding this winter. It's assuring to know that my trepidation in attempting this young sport is shared--and conquered--by others who are well out of adolescence.

Audrey Cunningham
Hoboken, New Jersey