Our Weeks Endeavors 

I am a 74-year-old senior that has seen too much devastation of our wildlife - wolves, bison and now ravens.

Animals that have supported each other and our environment for thousands of years; now being shot, trapped, poisoned, harassed and terrified with almost no mention of the real issue; their connection to domestic production of livestock on their historic and our public lands.

I resent my federal tax dollars being spent to support an industry (ranching) that not only doesn't pay it's own cost of doing business but destroys our native plants and compacts the ground so only noxious weeds survive.

Killing ravens will not bring back habitat for the sage grouse and even removing cattle will not revive the land for decades. Senate Document 199 produced in 1936 reported "149 million acres or 98 percent of public domain is eroding more or less seriously, 67 million acres is contributing silt to major streams and the land's capacity for supporting wildlife and recreation has been greatly diminished."

As ordinary citizens like myself can become more educated about the true cost of livestock's production, such as methane releases (carbon) and fouled water, they will join me in calling for and end to killing the wildlife that maintain balance on our planed and an end to support for livestock grazing on public land.

Judy Jarrett, Oregon