Letters to the Editor 07/25/24

“After about a week of planning, we hiked out to Steelhead Falls in the evening to scope out the jump and ensure safety. Ryan popped on his wetsuit and we tied rainbow string lights around his back like a cape. I got in position for the long exposure shot and we went for it. Somehow the string lights survived multiple jumps and are still working to this day.” Thank you so much @tyvalz9 for tagging us in this amazing shot at Steelhead Falls with the help of @ryan.herron. Don’t forget to share your photos with us and tag @sourceweekly for a chance to be featured as Instagram of the week and in print as our Lightmeter. Winners receive a free print from @highdesertframeworks. Credit: Courtesy @tyvalz9 Instagram

Fish Passage

FOR THE FISH

I am concerned about the loss of fish in the Upper Deschutes which used to be one of the premier trout fisheries in the U.S. One thing that needs to be done ASAP is to get up and downstream fish passage at the dam creating Mirror Pond.

During heat waves like this, the Middle Deschutes often sees lethal water temperatures. The fish want to go upstream to cooler temperatures but can’t navigate past the dam. At other times of the year, fish want to migrate downstream and if they try to go past the dam there is a good chance the adult trout will be impaled on the turbine blades.

The dam was required to have passage when it was built in 1910 and had it for 50 years. In 1960 Pacific Power told ODFW not to worry, they were going to build a new dam and put in a new fish ladder. They did neither.

Bend Park and Recreation and the City of Bend helped fund an engineering study to see what type of fish passage would be best for that location. They came up with a solution, but nothing has happened.

This is the only man-made barrier to passage from Lake Billy Chinook to Wickiup dam. Why doesn’t the State of Oregon require fish passage and have Pacific Power pay? It is time for them to stand up to power brokers like Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Get passage NOW!

For the fish,

—Craig Lacy

RE: On e-Bikes in the Forest, Data Brings Clarity. Opinion, 7/11

Somehow the fact that e-bikes are heavier, go further and faster and turn every rider into a pro (the top range of human performance) leads the Forest Service to conclude there will be “no significant impact” on all the trails at Phil’s. The EIS process is broken.

—Geoff Reynolds via bendsource.com

Please, remember, e-bikes are MOTORIZED VEHICLES. Period. There’s no getting around that fact. As a 73-year-old man still pedaling my bike up cascade highway or skyliners and obese people on e-bikes scream by, I’m grateful I can still pedal and grateful they are on the road. Motorized vehicles belong ON THE ROAD….not on paths.

—Richard Be via bendsource.com

RE: Boomers are Not Paying the Price. Letters, 7/4

I am 71. I’m not sure if I’m a boomer but I think I am according to your article that you wrote. I don’t really understand what you’re talking about; I do go to national parks — I think a lot of people go to national parks. I’m not really political; maybe some young people should be more political. I never watch daytime soaps, I don’t watch nighttime games and I definitely don’t worship celebrities. I have forgotten some of things I’ve learned in high school and college but not all. Please tell me what price I am not paying. Thanks.

—Jeff Boswell

RE: A Global Movement Gains Ground in Bend-La Pine Schools. Feature, 7/11

One point I’d like to add to this excellent article is that as caregivers and role-models, we need to limit our own screen-time in front of our children. I am absolutely guilty. Recently I told my son that his screen-time that day was over. I realized in horror that while I’d been telling him to put his iPad away, I was staring at my phone. I was likely doom-scrolling, not checking work emails. At a recent sports practice, every parent was on their phone. Same in the waiting room in my clinics. As the director of Bend-La Pine IT states, devices are indispensable, modern tools. Unfortunately, gaming and social media are extremely addicting and prevent people from thinking critically, learning delayed gratification, suppressing creativity and sense of self. As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, I specialized in Mental Health. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends, “For ages over 6, encourage healthy habits, limiting activities that include screens.” As adults it is our responsibility to guide youth in appropriate use of that which can negatively interfere with healthy development. I recently gave up Instagram. I realized I reflexively reach for my phone when I’m bored. My brain isn’t developing, yet I still found my thoughts and ideas being influenced, even controlled by, the dopamine-producing content I was being force-fed by social media algorithms. Ice cream and puppies also produce dopamine. I’m trying to take my son and 1-year-old mutt to Elly’s more often, Buttermint dripping down my chin, my phone in my purse 🙂

—Heather Stadnisky

Letter of
the Week:

Heather: Letter of the Week, hands down. Or is it phones down? Come on by for your gift card to Palate!

—Nicole Vulcan

This article appears in Source Weekly July 25, 2024.