Letters to the Editor Decisions, decisions To the editor, I attended the wil- derness advisory com- mittee hearing in Terrace recently. . There was much talk of pristine wilderness, primeaval wilderness and several other kinds of wilderness, and a whole bunch of different kinds of recreation. Not too much interest in the money makers; logging, mining, hydro development and such were not favored topics. The Gitnadoix valley near Terrace was thought by all to be a good candidate for some sort of park status. Very spectacular country and not much opportunity for logging or mining — therefore no conflicts. The Kutzemateen was a different story. The main interests here were logging and = grizzly bears, which aparently live there in some numbers. Several biologists spoke at length about the bears. Their estimates of population numbers ranged from seven to 40 bears, but 20 seemed to be the most popular guess. It seers that these 20 bears in the Kutzemateen are part of a bigger gang of some 60 or 70, which the game officials calculate to be holed up in a rugged, 4000-square- kilometre region, which includes the Kutzema- teen and the country east the Exchamsiks. The big question seem- ed to be: Would the log- ging of 25 square kilometres of timber in the Kutzemateen over a 10-year period reduce the 20 bears through starva- tion, or could they fill their bellies on some of the remaining 3975. square kilometres? No firm conclusion was reached, although studies from Russia, Alaska, Italy and Sweden were quoted and disputed. The majority of the experts thought there was a definite possibility of reduction in numbers of bears if logging took place, while one bioligist stood firm on that there was enough room for both bears and logging. Some of the stream- side timber turned out to be important for bears to hide in, while they feast on the annual pink salmon run, their favorite munchies tend to be rotten fish when available. The dilemma left for the wilderness committee to unravel is: on one hand, a number of en- vironmentalists ada- mantly opposed to log- ging are pushing for some sort of park status; and on the other hand, those with logging in- terests who felt that 1.2 million cubic metres of the valley’s four million cubic metres of timber could be removed with- out harming the bears. The direct contribu- tion of a cubic metre of timber to the local economy is $35 it costs the logger to get the wood out of the bush and a further $15 in sawmilling costs if the wood is processed local- y. So $50 times 1.2 million is about $60 million which hangs on the wilderness commit- tee’s decision. Assuming the very worst predictions come true, and say 10 bears would disappear through Go for it! To the editor, Congratulations and thanks to local alderman George Clark for an ex- citing and practical idea. I think a lottery for Ter- race has wonderful possibilities. If each year a major undertaking could be Future To the editor, I have subscribed to many magazines, but the Terrace Review is the first newspaper I have been impressed enough with to invest in a subscription. Good luck in your future, Terrace Review. R. Lamotte i Lakelse Lake funded in this way the improvement to the town and to employment would be impressive. The other fund-raising done in town, be it lot- teries or telethones, etc. ends up with the money going down south, and maybe, just maybe, a lit- tle of it comes back if they see fit down there. It would be nice to spend Terrace money for Terrace’s benefit. I would like to see these tickets sold where ever other lottery tickets are sold in town. Give us a free choice. I hope they don’t talk this good idea to death, Go for it! Ada Solowoniuk Terrace, B.C, the logging, we now have a little better basis to make a decision. $60 million worth of timber, or ten bears — why, that’s $6 million dollars per bear. Decisions, deci- sions... Peter Weeber New Hazelton For a brief period in 1539, a lowly water-bearer named Nizam sat on India's throne, placed there by Mogul Emperor Huma- yun, whom he had rescued with an inflated waterskin from drown- ing in the Ganges, says Nation- al Geographic. School To the editor, Three items on page 3 of your Jan. 22 issue should be drawn to the public’s attention. First: Despite a clear message from both the Ministry of Education and the Attorney General that donating Thanks To the editor, A thank you to everybody at Lakelse Lake for their support at the fire protection meeting on Sunday, Jan. 19. On behalf of the com- munity, I would like to thank the guest speakers whose input made the meeting a success. They are: Art Hoving and Bill Delaronde, Thornhill Fire Depart- ment; Doug McLeod, Wightmand and Smith Insurance Agencies; Bob Marcellin and Gordon Robinson, Regional District of Kitimat- Stikine. A special mention to Art and Marge Park of Ole’s Place for their hospitality in supplying the meeting place and coffee. R. Lamottee Woman dies TERRACE — Maybel- line Woods, age 22, of Terrace died of head in- juries after falling 10 metres from the railway bridge, on the south side of Old Skeena Bridge on Tuesday, Jan, 21. Woods is survived by her 22-month-old son. The Terrace RCMP are still investigating. Need something? Try Classifieds To the editor, Democracy is really a dirty word, except as a tool to draw votes. The NDP has been demand- ing more jobs for the unemployed and pav- erty stricken comrades. Premier Bill Bennett has to listen. Did you not see them march on the streets and hear them yelling abroad? Poor Bennett did not have jobs stuffed in his pockets for easy give- aways. Only Santa Claus can work mir- acles. Nevertheless this man —constantly being at- tacked by the left is doing his very best under the circum- stances. If one looks at the many strikes, one gets the impression that jobs are not wanted. Lately Bennett got the Terrace Review — Wednesday, Jan. 29, 1986 5 Bennett doing his best Coquihalla Highway built between Hope and Merritt, creating a lot of jobs. According to the News, Jan. 13, the NDP leaders state that he did it only to make a name for himself. The NDP is not pleased at all and not thankful. It was just a waste of money, they say. The loggers also want jobs. Is the NDP help- Ing them to get them? No, they want the votes of our Natives at the polls. Indians were nev- er on Lyell Island or in the Stein Valley in the first place. On South Moresby they did. The NDP ss says, “hands off’’. Many Natives are unable to find employ- ment now. One cannot have a 100 per cent untouched environment and have, at the same time, a lot of jobs. One cannot have - both. These ‘‘progressive”’ folks want to turn the clock back. Ifthey want - development and peace for other countries where is Our opportun- ity for development? Soon we will be one of these under-developed poor nations ourselves, Is this a bunch of nonsense? No, just realism. Stirring up our Na- tives is a mean trick. To me the NDP is contra- dicting itself. Does Ben- nett ever do anything right in the eyes of the NDP? Even if he does, I do not believe they would admit it. Poli- tics can be dirty but it does not have to be. Bill Homburg, Terrace, B.C. board actions questioned | school district funds to a native band council’s scholarship fund would not be advisable, the Terrace school board voted 4-3 to donate $1,000. The Vancouver school board was fired by the minister of education because it defied the School Act. Yet this board defies the law by giving away $1,000 and there isn’t a peep from parents whose children are stacked in their classrooms like cord- wood. It is as illogical to donate Terrace school district funds to a native band council’s scholar- ship as it would be to donate the funds to a soup kitchen or the SPCA. Each is a worthy cause, but not the one our tax dollars should be collected to support. wa rae wine I LOWERS of bA CARTE Shirley Cilft A Rolf and Sharon Vandevelde are happy to announce the birth of a new son, Tyson. He was born January 22, 1986, weighing 6 Member of AFS Wire Service It would seem to me the chairman of the board has the power to bring that resolution back to the next board meeting for considera- tion following some iegal advice, rather than let- ting a questionable resolution stand. Second: If it would cost $1.2 million and re- quire an 89-percent in- crease in taxes to imple- ment the class sizes the TDTA is after, why doesn’t the board lay out its figures, and how it reached them, in a press release for everyone to study? No taxpayer deserves to have a bottom line outlined, without the courtesy of a full ex- planation of how that bottom line was arrived at. Third: In your Talk of the Town survey, one Ibs. 12 oz. Is the Stork about to visit you? } Let everyone know about the happy event by having It printed in the Review. Forms are available at the Hospital. woman said, ‘‘If teachers are getting paid, I imagine teachers should participate in ex- - tracurricular functions.” I would like to point * out that teachers are paid only for the time they spend in the classroom teaching; that teachers receive no dollar pay- ment for coaching sports teams, organizing club activities, or accompany- ing students on travels out of town to par- ticipate in their chosen recreational pursuits. - The public is not stupid, but often we are treated as both stupid and not even worthy of being informed. The Terrace school board seems to have reverted to its silence of 1981. Sadly, only the TDTA seems to mind. Claudette Sandecki, Terrace, B.C. The Stork’s Delivery Kook 24-hour Phone t ma (604)635-4080 . Skeena Mall