Dear Editors,
Being a lifelong Colorado big game hunter and a life member of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, I want to address the issue of noise, which I consider the most serious problem with OHV/ATV use in the outdoors. Perhaps the following information will more clearly explain this phenomenon, which I refer to as “The Acoustic Bubble.”

1. All OHV/ATVs use some type of internal combustion engine (ICE).

2. All ICEs emit some level of sound. Visualize, if you will, a single off highway or all terrain vehicle motoring along on a road or a trail, all very innocent so far. Now visualize an omni-directional, invisible bubble of sound that is the constant companion of every internal combustion engine.

3. As soon as the ignition is turned on, wherever that vehicle moves with its running engine, like it or not, that acoustic bubble of sound will be its constant companion. Humans can detect these sounds from more than one-half mile distance, and game animals are equipped with far superior hearing. There are documents available that provide test data proof that these sounds can reach several miles.

4. To further aggravate this situation, add more OHV/ATVs on the roads and trails, or worse yet, more crossroads and trails with even more vehicles. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this will create overlapping acoustic bubbles resulting in wildlife dead zones or, as I prefer to call them, “wildlife waste lands.” Given a choice, wild game animals, under pressure, prefer roadless areas to seek asylum from human encroachment.

5. When I refer to wild game animals, I’m not talking about spoon-fed, near-domesticated zoo animals. Nor am I talking about the “Pavlov’s bell-conditioned” game animals seen in parks or game farms or along highways. I’m referring to game animals that are managing to retain their natural inherent wild instincts.

If off highway and all terrain vehicles users insist they must use their motorized transportation in their outdoor pursuits, they must also accept the fact that their acoustic bubble companions are driving game animals farther and farther into less accessible areas and are negatively affecting the peace and quiet many of us seek in the outdoors.

Being a disabled veteran from WWII, I well recognize there are some physically challenged vehicle users. Visit any nearby Veterans Administration hospital for some good examples. However, the majority of present day off highway and all terrain vehicle users are young, healthy and fit. The final solution to this problem may end up being to consider some system for total separation of the Pro-Wheelers from the Pro-Wilders.

For now, not knowing or caring about the negative effects on wildlife or humans is no excuse. The Pro-Wheelers must be made aware of their intended or unintended consequences.
– Bill Sustrich, via email
 

Dear Telegraph,
I have a slight problem with your July 7 piece on water supply in the Colorado River.  Specifically, I must deduct substantial points for your deceiving description of the river’s basin. First, the area only includes portions of the south- and central-western Rocky Mountain chain.  Roughly half the chain is in Canada and large portions provide drainage to rivers either east of the divide or those on course for the Pacific Northwest.

Second, your description neglects to include the Colorado’s single, largest tributary. The Green River, beginning as snowmelt in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, roughly doubles the Colorado’s volume when they meet in the Canyonlands of Southeastern Utah. To “diss” Wyoming and credit California for contributing to the river’s flow should boil the blood of any true Westerner. Our New Mexican neighbors to the south are similarly dismissed as contributors to the river’s flow. And finally, to include Arizona in the same sentence with other partial “contributors” to the river’s basin, specifically Nevada and California, obscures the fact that virtually all (99.9 percent) of the Grand Canyon State’s runoff goes to the Colorado. Folks from the Ponderosa and Saguaro state would not appreciate being lumped together – in terms of available water in the Colorado – with the likes of the Vegas Strip and Imperial Valley.

Perhaps I’m still a bit cranky after back-to-back summer courses at the Fort, and the endless paper grading that consumed my weekend. I’m sure it didn’t help that one of the courses I taught was aptly titled, “Rivers of Thirst.” But at least the summer rains have arrived, right? Regardless, the timeless saying (often misattributed to Mark Twain) continues to ring true “… in the West, water’s for fightin’ and whiskey’s for drinkin’… .” Come to think of it, I am feeling a bit of thirst. Bottoms up. 

   
And next time when writing about the grand Colorado River, do a bit more homework. The River deserves it.

– Brad Clark, Durango

 

 

To the Editors,
I recently read Representative Tipton’s Op-Ed in which he discusses his plan to make Chimney Rock a national monument. I commend Tipton for his awareness and compassion regarding Chimney Rock and his dedication to preserving such a beautiful and important place. I also commend him for responding to citizen voices and changing his opinion on this project based upon what his constituents know to be important for the future of the area. I wish he were more open and less closed-minded on other issues as well. It would behoove him to support the continued funding for the NEA, which also greatly benefits his district.

With its rare and incredible historic significance, Chimney Rock deserves the outstanding protection provided by national monument status. In addition to preserving the beauty of Chimney Rock for generations to come, the designation will not cause any extra burden for taxpayers. Representative Tipton’s legislation for a Chimney Rock National Monument would not only support the conservation of the site, but also ensure that the ranchers, Native Americans and sportsmen still have access to the benefits of Chimney Rock.

As Representative Tipton knows from his experience as a small business owner in the Four Corners, Chimney Rock National Monument would create new jobs and generate revenue in the area. I hope that Tipton introduces this legislation as soon as possible. It’s too bad he didn’t support the legislation that was originally sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet and Sen. Mark Udall last March. Southwest Colorado needs this economic driver to help address its high unemployment. Bennet and Udall got that months ago. It’s good that Tipton is finally catching up.

 

– Leanne Goebel, Pagosa Springs