OUR GREAT ESTATE
It’s more than discouraging to read about the Bush administration’s assault on the entire spectrum of the environment, as outlined in the March/April issue. It’s hard
to imagine we could do worse with whoever might replace President Bush. It’s also frightening to read about polls that show almost 50 percent of the voters
approve of his performance. S. R. Hirsch
Kingston, New York
Most Americans agree that prominent wilderness areas like those featured in the March/April issue should be protected. I do not feel that there is the same concern
for less exotic habitats. I live in the south Puget Sound region of Washington State. In the past 30 years, rapid development has decimated forests near Seattle and
other large cities. This spring, woodlands I explored when I was a boy were being cleared for new homes. These woodlands are not unique or exotic, but they do
have value and should not be so casually destroyed. Craig Zimmerman
Federal Way, Washington
UNRULY IN MIAMI
Reflecting on Paul Rauber’s article "Miami Vise" ("Lay of the Land," March/April), it must be noted that a city has to protect its residents and their property. A
resident of Miami, I observed TV coverage of the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit and saw "peaceful demonstrators" throwing rocks and bottles at the
police. Others carrying containers with incendiary fluids barricaded themselves behind trash bins they pushed out on the streets. This was perhaps the work of violent
anarchists who infiltrated the peaceful demonstrators, but Rauber fails to mention it.
Maybe next time we can find a way to discredit the agitators and keep them from infiltrating other groups. Ana C. Portela
Coconut Grove, Florida
REDROCK RANGER
Thank you for your thought-provoking article on Utah’s Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument ("Profile," March/April). The local hostility this monument
has engendered is a symptom of a much larger problem: The concept of lands that belong to everyone is repugnant to a conservative nation set uncompromisingly
against all forms of socialism. This basic underlying ideology–as well as corporate greed–is at the root of assaults on public lands all across the country. Unless
conservatives are able to face up to this, our public treasures will continue to be at risk.
Elissa L. Engelbourg
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
CORRECTIONS
In his March/April "Ways & Means" column, Carl Pope said that no nuclear power plant had been built in the United States since the Three Mile Island accident. He
should have said no new ones had been ordered since that time. Our illustration of the same issue should have stated that only 11.3 percent of U.S. Forest Service
and Bureau of Land Management roadless lands of 1,000 acres or more are protected as wilderness. Smaller roadless lands, and those managed by other
agencies, were not included in the calculation.
We welcome letters in response to recent articles. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Write to us at 85 Second St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA
94105-3459; fax (415) 977-5794; e-mail sierra.letters@sierraclub.org.
