Page 2 The Ogden Valley news Volume XXV Issue IX July 1, 2018 The Ogden Valley news Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 801-745-2688 Fax: 801-745-2688 Cell: 801-791-4387 E-Mail: slfrancis@digis.net Jeannie Wendell Tel: 801-745-2879 Fax: 801-745-2879 E-Mail: crwendell@digis.net crwendell@msn.com Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists or letters to the editor are not necessarily the opinions of the owners and staff of The Ogden Valley news. guidelines for Letters to the Editor Letters should be 300 words or less. Letters must be signed and the address of the writer submitted. The Ogden Valley news reserves the right to edit or decline printing of any submissions. Announcements Sought As a community service, The Ogden V alley n ews will print local birth, wedding, obituary, anniversary and missionary farewell & homecoming and Eagle Scout announcements free of charge. 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Note: The contents of The Ogden Valley News are copyrighted. To protect this publication and its contributors from unlawful copying, written permission is required before any individual or company engages in the reproduction or distribution of its contents, by any means, without first obtaining written permission from the owners of this publication. The deadline for the OVN July 15 issue is July 3. Letters to the Editor Independents are the Fastest Growing Voting Group The headline on John Reynold’s last editorial letter to The Ogden Valley News, “The incredible shrinking Democratic Party,” is misleading. A recent Gallup poll reports that registered Democrats comprise 31% of the total number of registered voters while only 25% are registered Republicans. Let me remind you that the Democratic candidate in the 2016 election won the popular vote by 3,200,000. Democratic-leaning Independents comprise 18% of the total and Independent-leaning Republicans comprise 16%. According to a Pew Research Center report, Independents are the fastest growing voting group in America. Maybe the future of politics will be less tribal. This would probably be a good thing. His final paragraph, which begins, “Instead of a President who spreads charismatic platitudes and made morning talk show hosts giddy, we have a man (DJT) who is a realist and pragmatist. . . . “ In my life time, no President, other than Trump, has called into a morning talk show to spend 45 minutes demonstrating his mastery of the English language and incredible grasp of all policy matters. (I fully admit there may be some facetious mocking in that sentence.) I would also take exception to some of the things John considers so positive about Trump’s accomplishments. Take the environment, for example. Getting out of the climate accords and Scott Pruitt’s dismantling of the EPA does not bode well for future generations of Americans. His tax policy has certainly helped his bottom line and that of the top 01%, but I haven’t noticed much of a change in mine. Ivanka and Jared are proud that they work in the White House without pay. Their recently posted financial disclosure forms indicate their outside jobs provided them a meager $82 million dollars (or more) in their first year as public servants. (Can you say “emoluments”?) Ripping up the Iran nuclear accord and signing a spiffy letter with North Korea that says they will consider disbanding their nuclear program makes me feel a lot safer. (No, wait, maybe not.) As a registered Democrat in Utah, I realize my vote will not matter much in most elections; however, I will continue sending in my ballot, knowing that this right may be lost if not thoughtfully exercised. I’m also happy I can still enjoy the benefit of a free press. It is fun to watch the contrast between FOX and MSNBC. In fact, I think I’ll go watch some mainstream media and get a good laugh and do some more mocking. Hap Stephens, Eden Wolf Canyon Trail “Dewoaded” A big thank you to the folks who turned out on a weekday evening to clear the trail of woad and houndstongue. The trail looks wonderful! This trail is now on the Webertrails.org trail conditions website. The woad is retreating gradually, helped by “woad rust,” the natural fungus that sterilizes and then kills the plants. Unfortunately, the woad is also in the surrounding forest, and on the slopes down from Powder Mountain, but the amount along the trail is now much reduced. A huge thanks to the woad clearing team: Kathy Dowell, Marion Horna, Kay Hoogland, Paul DeLong, Richard Menzies, Holly and Neil Drew, Richard Menzies and Kristin Purdy. This year we were joined by Jacki McCloy and Laura Lewis from Bold Betties Hiking group, Ogden. Paul DeLong has been helping with this and other trails for many years; he is also one of our Great Basin K9 Search and Rescue Team, so we had search dog Taylor along to sniff out rattlesnakes! Thanks Paul, for all you do for Weber Pathways! Also, Marion Horna annually takes Valley 6th graders along the North Arm trail to maintain that area. Thanks again to all these volunteers. Miranda Menzies, Eden Shown above are “dewoaders” Paul DeLong, Jacki McCloy, Laura Lewis, Richard Menzies, and Kris Purdy celebrating the bagging of the last of the houndstongue weed on Wolf Creek Canyon Trail. The Killing of Wildlife on Public Lands around Pineview Should Stop When the water gets shallow in Pineview and starts to recede, I often see young men wading in it with spears in their hands. stabbing carp to death, as I did this weekend. (Sometimes they use bows and arrows.) While there is probably nothing illegal about this activity, and there is nothing that can be done to stop it, I think it is cruel beyond belief and it should be stopped. Those killing the fish are not eating them— nobody eats carp in our country. They are simply leaving them floating on the water to rot and to attract flies. It is a merciless activity and a disgusting sight for those of us who live at the southeast end of the reservoir, and would like to go canoeing or wading in the water, too, just for the enjoyment of being in the water. Instead, we are forced to look at decaying fish or people murdering them. To kill an animal simply for the thrill, or for target practice, is the most perverse activity I can think of, and to have to see another person killing an animal—for whatever reason—is an extremely upsetting experience for someone who would never choose to do so, or to choose to see someone else do it. Ok, it’s only a carp, you might argue, but it is still a creature of God’s that suffers and feels pain. Is there something that can be done to stop this? Between watching people deliberately kill wildlife and watching people on jet skis buzz flocks of birds, which are trying to peacefully Have a Wonderful 4th of July Come Visit us and Get Out of the Heat HourS: Tuesday-Saturday: 5:00-10:00 pm Sunday Brunch: 10:00 am-2:00 pm (all you can eat) Sunday Dinner: 3:00 pm-8:00 pm 508 Ogden Canyon, Ogden Closed Mondays 801-392-6775 www.grayclifflodge.com use the water in back of my home, it sometimes seems as if our beautiful Pineview recreation area is not such a beautiful place to experience after all—though it always should be. I am baffled by the concept of “shared uses” of our public lands. There is no such thing as sharing with trappers/hunters. What “shared use” really means is that people who come to the Pineview area to hunt or trap can push the rest of us, and our peaceful desires, aside and the way in which we would like to use the area (bird watching, nature walks, hiking, photography, just looking at the magnificent scenery, etc.) because, on public lands, killing animals is the alpha activity, making it almost impossible to do all of these other activities concurrently. Basically, it is illogical and impractical to share public lands with hunters/trappers, and is frightening to even try. Have you ever gone on a walk where people have set traps right by the trail and your dog is suddenly yelping because it has stepped in one? Many people in Ogden Valley have had this unfortunate experience with their pets—including cat owners. I would ask the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to please discontinue endorsing the “rights” of hunters and trappers (technically it isn’t a right by definition; these are privileges acquired by purchasing a license) as superior to ours (the peaceful, silent majority), as if their rights should be honored over and above the rights of people who just want to enjoy the tranquility and wonder of nature— especially those of the home owners who live nearby. Property owners should have rights, too—to be able to peacefully enjoy their property. The peaceful love of nature is the path we should all follow in the outdoors, especially in our generation, as we are not in survival mode any longer, and especially in an area like Pineview/Ogden Valley where public lands are immediately adjacent to people’s homes and the communities where the residents (and their pets) can be negatively and personally impacted by these dangerous and disturbing “sports.” Becky Wood, Huntsville