I will admit to a little envy when I look to our neighbors to the north who will now reap the rewards of the first wilderness protection afforded by this Congress. While I agree that Washington’s Wild Sky wilderness is incredible and worthy of permanent protection, I believe there are special natural areas here in Oregon equally deserving.

First and foremost is iconic Mount Hood. Oregon’s delegation has worked long and hard to move this conservation measure — to forever protect more clean drinking water, old-growth forests and salmon habitat — toward passage. It enjoys broad support from hunters, anglers, community leaders and people like me who prize the area for its trails.

A recent letter in the Hood River News mentioned that several bike trails would be impacted by the Wilderness proposal. Bikes are great, and are fine on most trails, but there are a few sensitive areas where that would not be the case, like Boulder Lake. The delicate wildflowers, wetlands and meadows of the Boulder Lake area need strong Wilderness protection.

I recognize that Congress has a lot on its plate — Iraq, the troubled economy, gas prices — but passage of the Mount Hood wilderness bill would send a positive message that lawmakers understand that when the nation loses 6,000 acres of open space every day, it is imperative that we act to save more of our last best wild places for future generations.

I hope this will become a priority in the final months of this Congress. We don’t want to wait another year to see Mount Hood wilderness become a reality.

Keep an eye out

Recently a neighbor woke to find an unknown white male in her garage lining up anything that could be stolen and sold. She confronted the man, who promptly ran off. She then called the police to file a report.

This should remind everybody to keep their garage door closed, all doors locked and ground floor window closed when you are not home, or at night. Neighbors should keep an eye out for each other when they are away, and always contact the police if you see something suspicious in your neighborhood.

Before and after

Re: the May 24 Hood River News front page article, “Wampler: I got the message.” The question is, now that he’s got it, what’s he going to do with it?

Statements at the forum diverge from the printed quotes in this article. Sheriffs and editors have the right to make and print statements mixing fiction with fact to express their who, what and whys of any given situation.

In the article the sheriff commented, “Changes need to be made.” Why then, did he at the forum, using both gestures and verbal statements, pooh-pooh his challenger’s platform, consisting of changes desired by departmental personnel?

And it boggles my mind, Mr. Editor, as to how someone of your staff representing your newspaper could have endorsed Mr. Wampler for sheriff when letters to this column and interview of the candidate given as the reasons for the News’ choice, when in my opinion, the letters supporting Bob Davidson contained more qualitative substance, and at that issue the letter score was a tie, 7-7.

However, in the issue just prior to election day, the score was Davidson 15, Wampler 2, in that issue alone.

Another troubling matter is an article quote which conflicts with Mr. Wampler’s forum presentation of a 5-inch-thick loose-leaf notebook, which apparently was just that; for now he indicates if given more “rope” he is going to assemble policy guidelines for his staff, which was also on Davidson’s platform and got pooh-poohed.

Summarizing this article, Mr. Wampler was made to sound like a victim of his circumstances. However, he assured us that he is going to try to do better.

I commend him for his acknowledgment of his negative popularity with his staff and deputies.

The following is my brief survey of a “handful of the electorate” re: Why vote for Mr. Wampler? One: I never heard of Davidson before. Two: Mr. Wampler is one that hikes up the trails and finds lost hikers. Three: Mr. Wampler is the only one who gets out in a boat to rescue.

Whoa! I had to disagree with the one re: hiker. TV spokesman/newsmaker — yes; mountain man — no. (Note his campaign ads in this newspaper.)

And on the flip side — Bob Davidson “fought a good fight,” keeping punches above the belt. Bob ran a good race, with 3,424 proud residents of Hood River County supporting his candidacy for sheriff. It was close! But close only counts in horseshoes.

But! Come November we don’t have to vote for the incumbent — we have the freedom to write in the name of our choice.

Park needs help

The Waterfront Community Park Association is urgently seeking funds to add a bathroom to the new waterfront park this summer. We have received a $60,000 proposal for a sustainable green design. This plan includes solar panels on the roof to provide 100 percent of the electrical usage for the facilities.

The plan also includes low-flow water usage fixtures, a metal roof and recycled and sustainable woods. It will be low-maintenance and eco-friendly.

We really appreciate all the local support we have given to the park and we know a restroom would make the park much more pleasant to use this summer. Adding this now will also save us money on materials and labor later.

Local teachers are excited about using the facility as a demonstration site for alternative energies and building techniques for our students.

We will be kicking off this important campaign on Tuesday night with a phone-a-thon and e-mail requests. WCPA is seeking corporate sponsors and individual donations for the new bathrooms.

Please help us by contacting Ann Frodel at (541) 386-5770, Matt Edmonds at medmonds@gorge.net, or look at the giving options on our Web page: www.hoodriverwaterfront.com.

We appreciate any way you can help us with this project. It’s your park and our community; in the meantime we hope you are enjoying and using the new waterfront park. Let’s celebrate the amazing progress we have made and make even it better!

Thank you for your generosity.

Semitic insult

I am sure Mac Cornelison is a fine inn director and upstanding citizen, but to make a connection between a gas leak, Hitler’s rise to power, and a convention of rabbis in any way, much less “retrospectively humorous” is incredibly offensive and has no place on the front page of your newspaper.

As the son of a holocaust survivor, I “cringe” to think if my father (or son) happened upon such anti-Semitic humor while reading a “hospitality” article in the local paper. I know I was horrified.

Lower gas price

So who is pushing for lower gas prices? President Bush? Corporate USA? The oil companies? The Middle East?

The bottom line is there are no market forces pushing gas prices down, and the big oil companies are drowning in profits while you and I are drowning in high gas prices.

It’s time to fight back. I don’t remember much from school, but I do remember something called, “The law of supply and demand.” If enough people patronize the cheapest gas stations and avoid the most expensive gas stations, this will put pressure on gas stations to lower their prices.

I’ve put together a Web site that tracks the stations with the lowest and highest gas prices. Knowledge is power, and a concerted effort can drive prices down. The site is called www.cheapestgasinthegorge.com.

Join in. If enough people vote with their wallets, gas stations will start feeling the pressure to lower prices.

I realize the underlying cause of the skyrocketing gas prices is not the fault of the local gas station owners, but we as consumers, need to vote with our wallets. The other alternative is to lie down and take it. By the way, Pacific Pride in Bingen has the lowest prices around as of June 8.