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SHOT DOWN
I read with interest your story [Outtakes, May 31:
] describing an avid hiker somehow wandering into the line of fire for skeet shooting at Bishop's Lodge. I've hiked the trails and shot skeet there numerous times. Let me assure you that there is virtually no way for a hiker to casually place themselves in the line of fire-because of the open terrain this must have been intentional. Furthermore, Dave West, who runs the skeet shooting for the Lodge, I know to be friendly, genteel and thoroughly safety conscious. It's pretty easy to read between the lines when the hysterical Mr. Swansea alleges that skeet shooters "pretty much yahoo it and shoot in all directions." Absolutely untrue-your reporter has been had by a nut case.
David P Groeneveld, Ph.D.
Santa Fe
LOST IN THE WOODS
There's no question that it is in everyone's best interest that the boundaries between National Forest Land and Bishop's Lodge property be clearly identified. And not just Bishop's Lodge but private property in general. Many sections of private property along the Lower Winsor Trail are indeed marked, but some are not.
Now, having written that, as someone who hikes a lot, when you go out into the woods, and especially in unfamiliar areas, it is your responsibility to know where you are. If you can't navigate with confidence then you are putting your life at risk and quite frankly you shouldn't be out there in the first place. Yes, people can still get lost, and that is why having the boundaries and trails more clearly marked is a good thing. That doesn't change the fact that Mr. Swansea is the one who got himself lost in the first place, something he never quite seems to 'fess up to.
What I find even more interesting is that here we have a guy who, by his own admission, knows so little about firearms that he practically wandered onto a shooting range because he didn't even know what guns sound like. Yet we are supposed to believe that he is somehow qualified to be able to go up to the shooting area afterward and based on his observations make assessments of things like the directions in which people are shooting, or the likelihood that a hiker would be mistaken for a clay pigeon? That's absurd. It's like saying that someone who has never seen a car in person but just almost got hit by one is by virtue of that singular experience now qualified to reconstruct car accidents. I don't think so. I'm not saying that there aren't safety issues at the Bishop's Lodge range; I've never been to the range there so I'm in no position to comment on that. What I am saying is that someone who doesn't even know what guns sound like probably is not the right person to be answering that question.
Jacob Waltz
Santa Fe
SKEET SLEET
I am a hiker myself, so I can appreciate Mr. Swansea's concerns about the safety of trails around Bishop's Lodge. However, I think his fears are largely unfounded.
I took my wife horseback riding at Bishop's Lodge for her birthday a couple of years ago, and we happened to ride right past the skeet range while it was in use. We could hear the gunshots followed by the pellets falling around us and saw evidence of broken clay pigeons as well. At first my wife seemed a bit worried (our guide was completely unconcerned). I understood why she might be frightened, but having some experience and knowledge of skeet shooting, I was able to assure her (and myself) that there was no danger from the pellets, which were reaching us because they were fired at a high arc, and were simply falling out of the sky. In skeet shooting, one fires a cartridge filled with several tiny pellets, almost always what is called #9 shot. These pellets are less than half the size of a BB and lose almost all forward momentum after about 100 yards. Should one or more happen to hit you at that point, they are no more dangerous than say, sleet.
Even if the shooters were to somehow mistake a hiker for a clay pigeon, as Swansea suggests, and aim down their barrels directly at the person, the shot would simply disperse, lose energy and fall to the ground before reaching the hiker. All this is of course assuming the trails are at least 100 yards from the firing line-hopefully considerably more.
In any case, I think it would be wise for Bishop's Lodge to listen to Swansea and invest in some sort of signage for nearby trails. It's just not pleasant-in fact, it can be downright frightening-to be hiking peacefully and suddenly hear gunshots and have pellets raining out of the sky on you. Bishop's Lodge would do well by its guests and neighbors to take that into consideration.
Matt Vest
Santa Fe
ENDORSE OF COURSE
Just want to pass on to you all my appreciation of your endorsement issue [Cover story, May 31:
]. As I am sure is the case with so many people (too many people?), I seem to have neither the time nor sufficient motivation to thoroughly investigate the platforms of each candidate or their qualifications for the position for which they are running. Thus, your encapsulations of the positions, the issues and the candidates' stances on issues help me be an informed voter.
Mark S Fuller
Santa Fe
GAME KOCH
While reading your story in the Santa Fe Reporter [Cover story, May 24:
], I found your assertion to be incomplete and misleading regarding a monument honoring Jamie Koch. I think it is important to clarify the appropriateness of dedicating a camping and day-use area to Jamie Koch along the Pecos River. Anyone familiar with his work and his passion for the outdoors and Pecos River Canyon will agree that the honor is appropriate and well-deserved.
Protecting the Pecos River Canyon stands as one of Jamie's biggest triumphs during his service as a state legislator, State Game Commission chairman and New Mexico's first Natural Resources trustee. When seepage from the abandoned Terrero mine threatened the Pecos River and the Lisboa Springs Fish Hatchery, Koch helped negotiate an agreement among state agencies and Cyprus-AMEX for a huge cleanup operation of the mine and the mill site downstream in Pecos. The 10-year cleanup project saved taxpayers millions of dollars and stands as a national model for state and private co-operation on mine-site cleanups.
The mine cleanup was among many contributions Jamie Koch has made toward wildlife conservation over the years. After he left the Legislature, Koch was chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission during 1982 to 1986 and 1990 to 1994. During that time, he helped find the money to rebuild three fish hatcheries, including the Lisboa Springs Hatchery in the Pecos River Canyon.
Today, the Village of Pecos and everyone who lives and plays in this beautiful canyon can thank Jamie Koch for a cleaner, safer place for their children and grandchildren. That is the substance and motivation for dedicating a state facility to Mr. Koch.
Bruce Thompson
Director, Dept. of Game and Fish
Santa Fe
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