Letters to the Editor

By DAVE FOX 
Los Alamos

Mr. Strain and Councilors,

Golf is great, but not great enough to earn or deserve the loss of 135 trees.

Or the other cost: the precious environmental cost of watering still more golf grass.

Golf is sure great enough, though, to deserve thanks for agreeing to fund fencing designed to keep all errant balls within the bounds of:

• the course; and 
• the driving practice area.

Read More

By LYNN HANRAHAN
Los Alamos

The first set of County Councilors I asked varied in their opinion.

One stared off toward the Sangres. The other asked me if it was really such a big deal to have strange cars parked in front of the house? The look on his face gave me the impression he thought I was a bored busybody.

The next set of Councilors I asked told me my question was pointless because there was no such thing.  The thing in question was Air BnBs and the question was whether for legal purposes they are required to abide by the same set of standards as traditional Bed and Breakfasts in Los Alamos County. The second Read More

By LESLIE HANSEN
WHITE ROCK

First of all, my dog is OK. So you can read this letter without worrying about an unhappy ending.

Second, I wanted to share my experience to warn everyone about the possibility of dogs finding toxic mushrooms on local high-elevation trails, or anywhere there are a lot of wild mushrooms growing.

I took three of my dogs for a hike on the Cañada Bonita Trail Saturday morning. About two miles in, I saw one dog running ahead of me messing with (eating?) something on the trail. When I got there, it was a flipped-over mushroom, with a nibble gone out of one side. I noted it had happened, Read More

By JOHN BLOODWOOD
Los Alamos

On July 25, the final draft revision of the updated nuisance code was released for public comment. While there are certainly many questionable and concerning changes being proposed, I’d like to focus on Sec 18-38, particularly the “Alternative for Personal Auto and Hobby Repair,” quoted below:

Alternative for Personal Auto and Hobby Repair¹⁶: Repair, maintenance, or hobby activities performed on personal vehicles owned by the owner(s) or occupant of the property will be done in a manner which minimizes the impact to the neighborhood and, shall be performed within Read More

By CHRIS JORDAN
Los Alamos

To follow up on the article (link) and letters about the long lines at Smith’s Pharmacy, some people might not be aware there is another pharmacy in town, Nambe Drugs in Central Park Square. 

They have lots of friendly staff, offer a wide variety of services, and could be a good alternative if you don’t have time to wait in line. Read More

By R D LITTLE
Los Alamos

When driving west bound on Trinity the general rule of the road is to “keep right, except to pass”.

When reaching Oppenheimer however, the road markings require the driver to merge into the left lane. According to the law, the driver must use the left turn signal to change lanes. But immediately the left lane ends and the road markings require the driver to move back into the right lane. Again, the law requires a right turn signal to change lanes. Silly isn’t it. But that is what the law and the road markings require.

Since the left lane ends, and traffic should have been in the right Read More

By SUSAN BARNS 
Los Alamos 

Mr. Collard’s recent letter published in the Los Alamos Daily Post (Link), unfortunately misunderstands the focus of the petition being presented to council this coming week regarding the Pueblo Canyon Trail Conceptual Plan, and does not reflect the documented interests of our community.

His characterization of the petitioners as being against maintenance of our multi-use trails is erroneous. I have read the comments given by those who signed an online version of the petition (available in the Council agenda packet), and hope to clear up some confusion.

Many Read More

By BERNICE WILLIAMS
Los Alamos

To all concerned,

Though the Pueblo Canyon Bike Trails projects being proposed do have merit, I am concerned that they are not being thought out carefully enough. The fact that the projects are submitted as all-or-nothing underscores this concern.

I choose to live in this mountain town because of the natural habitat. I find peace by getting outside and hiking these trails. To remove myself from civilization is restorative and provides an opportunity to contemplate meaningful topics and enjoy nature. Even Einstein and Oppenheimer sought out our canyons for contemplation. Read More

By ISABEL BRACKBILL
Los Alamos 

Los Alamos has a plenitude of mountain biking trails available for all skill levels, we are surrounded by forest with already existing trails.

I don’t understand the need to go forward with the current proposal to alter an already existing trail that would involve damaging the canyon as it is now, a wonderful walking area and already a cycling area.

Neither is increased mountain bike presence necessarily desirable or compatible with hiking, as the goal of each differs: the speed of movement, the mindset of the cyclist, the experience desired.

A hiker would just Read More

CHERYL HEIKOOP
Los Alamos

I welcomed the editorial by Chris Collord in The Los Alamos Daily Post (link) regarding the petition (of which I am a signee) to halt the proposed mountain bike projects for Pueblo Canyon, as it highlights to the general community the continuing enormous disconnect and miscommunication between various groups of trail users in Los Alamos County.

The issues surrounding lack of communication became very clear to me following the presentations on the consultant’s recommendations on the proposed Pueblo Canyon bike trails.

I would like to address some of the points in Read More