WHAT ELSE ARE THEY HIDING?

THANK YOU for the clear and concise report about the spraying of Roundup by S.J. Water Co. in the Santa Cruz Mountain watershed ("Froggers and Loggers," News&Views, Dec. 13).

This is a company that sends out nine pages of Q and A when asked why they are considering jeopardizing this watershed with a commercial logging operation.

Here's a quote in response to one question, "Won't logging affect endangered species?" SJWC: "The plan area has been inspected and surveyed by a consulting wildlife biologist as well as a consulting botanist. They have provided recommendations for the protection of a wide variety of plants and animals and their reports and recommendations are incorporated into the NTMP."

They fail to acknowledge their prior use of a pesticide that is so damaging to the environment, specifically the red-legged frog. I wonder what else they have failed to acknowledge?

C. Lee McKenzie, Los Gatos

NAILED IT!

RE NAIL vs. San Jose Water: A very good article about the endless corporate greed that threatens our water, environment, and quality of life. Big Creek, like all other loggers, are very paranoid about any limitations, however reasonable, put on their freedom to cut anywhere they desire. Along with the fact that the "watchdogs" of California timber operations are the desperately pro-logging Department of Forestry (no logging permits = no DOF jobs), it is very heartening to see organized groups of citizens like NAIL fight these base profiteers like San Jose Water tooth and NAIL. There is a lot more to this story than has surfaced; keep up the digging!

Ted Gehrke, Los Gatos

GOING NATIVE

RE the letter defending the nonnative eradication scam ("And It's Tasty, Too!," Letters, Dec. 20): The biggest scam ever--the "nonnative eradication program." Have you ever seen the beauty of a pampas grass, sprayed with that safe herbicide? Looks good--and just leave it there--looks good for years! after all the pampas and "ukes" hafta go--they don't belong here.

When it is done, San Francisco will just be sand dunes and scrag. I've seen the old pictures--before us fools brought in the uke trees, for windbreaks, nonnative crops, ourselves and other "nonnative" stuff. Out with the pampas grass--all the eucalyptus trees--after all the ukes drop limbs and can burn. Won't Santa Cruz County--and the state--look great without all the pampus, acacia and eucalyptus trees? Just a barren shrub covered wasteland--waiting to be paved over. Most of our food and wildlife is nonnative, as well as us humans, the worst invasive thing there is.

Spray, dig and burn--till it is all gone. Celebrate with mercury-laden fish and GMO food made with real human genes--nonnative? Ha! What do we do when the GMO spreads!!! Got herbicide!?????

Bob G. Dickie, LaSelva

SEND IN THE CLONES!

THE U.S. government has declared that food from cloned animals is safe to eat. After only five years of study, scientists and the FDA have concluded there is no difference between clones and other animals of the same species.

If you recall your history lessons, what was the cause of the Irish Potato Famine that began in 1845? The potatoes that were brought to Europe from Central and South America were clones. They all were divided from a few samples, and all had the same physical characteristics and susceptibility to the disease, phytophthora infestans, that wiped out the potato crop that was the primary subsistence of Irish peasants. The famine continued until 1871.

Also. the use of clones reduces the viability of the species that is cloned, and eliminates the natural selection process and inherent strength of a species to survive because some of its population are resistant to a particular disease. Agri-business would love to have a patent on our food sources and eliminate the freedom of choice of our farmers and consumers.

Final approval is still months away; the FDA will accept comments from the public for the next three months. Please make your concerns heard. Contact the U.S. FDA on the web: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-top.html

Lee E. Tolbert, Cloverdale

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