Letters

The Battlefield of Muy Verde
Alex Shoumatoff's gripping account of Edwin Bustillos and his courageous Tarahumara friends filled me with both hope and fear for the Sierra Madre and the people who live there ("Trouble in the Land of Muy Verde," March). I've had the honor of advising and supporting Bustillos and his indigenous staff through three years of success and tragedy. In these times of upheaval in Mexico, international support for people of Bustillos's strength and activism is the difference between life and death. Forest Guardians has established a Sierra Madre Program to aid Bustillos and his team. We encourage others to join our efforts by sending tax-deductible donations to Forest Guardians, 612 Old Santa Fe Trail, Suite B, Santa Fe, NM 87501. We also urge Outside readers to write to the government of Mexico to appeal for protection for Bustillos, help for the Tarahumara, and justice to drug-traffickers in the Sierra. Please send your letters to Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, President of Mexico, Palacio Nacional 0607, Mexico D.F., Mexico.

Randall Gingrich
International Director, Forest Guardians
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Never the Twights Shall Meet
Craig Vetter wrote an incredible article on ice-climber Marc Twight ("I Am Marc Twight, Feel My Pain," February). He certainly got the ugly truth in there: Twight is a self-absorbed, arrogant man who's only compounding the negative image that responsible climbers are trying hard to turn around. So Twight dragged his cockiness abroad to "capitalize" on his climbing success "because the French, unlike Americans, aren't afraid of heroes." You're wrong about that, Marc. We just reserve the term "hero" for those who are deserving, like organ donors, firefighters, or the America3 crew, for what they represent of women in the States. Send Twight back to France.

Gail Nielsen
Evanston, Illinois

I think many of us can relate to Twight's inner convictions and conflict. I don't doubt that he, like many of us, has questioned his lifestyle and judgment at times, but he's certainly had the opportunity to hurl himself off one of the many frozen slabs he has climbed--and has opted not to do so. Twight has already accomplished more than most of us ever will. May he capitalize as he has climbed: in his own way, on his own terms.

Tom Bie
Jackson, Wyoming

Behind the Eight's Fall
I was pleased to see that William Stoner and his cohorts have been apprehended and will likely be prosecuted with more than a slap on the wrist for the blasting of the Salt River's Quartzite Falls ("Fall of the Quartzite Eight," Dispatches, February). Losing the falls has taken away much of what the Salt River Canyon is about for experienced boaters. We already have a hard-enough time keeping our rivers wild. It's very difficult for me to understand how a pack of fellow river rats could be so environmentally insensitive.

Jim Emanuel
Regressive River Expeditions
Vista, California

Page-Turner
I've been reading Outside for about six years, so I've come to expect excellence. Every month has brought new revelations, shocking facts, and beautiful images. But the March issue simply blew me away. It contains some of the best writing I've ever seen. The essays on tumultuous nature ("Big Weather") were exceptional, and Alex Shoumatoff's report on the pressures on the Tarahumara was fantastic. Do I sound thrilled? I am.

Cecelia Ceccone
Hermosa Beach, California

CORRECTION: On page 95 of the April issue, the phone number for Rancho, Chuck Cooper's western shop, is incorrect. The correct number is 505-986-1688. We regret the error.