In regard to Sen. Bryan's "Rebels should turn down the jets." I know, Mr. Bryan, you are a lame duck and are just doing the bidding of Mr. Clinton who issued the order to lock up 40-50 million acres of forest service lands, but I think a lot of Nevada people put you back there in DC to represent THEM.
I believe the people who live in Jarbidge and have to drive up into Idaho and back into Nevada to get home don't think the "jets are on high" after waiting over four years for the road to be replaced. As a past governor of Nevada, you should have more consideration for the citizens of Nevada.
That road washed out in the spring of '95, and Elko County went up and put the river back into its normal bed, then the forest service said stop, we will fix it. The forest service let a contract to a firm from Bozeman, Mont., for $463,000, which went in and pulled down the hillside, trees, etc., making a bigger mess and now are suing Elko County for making muddy water. When the FS was asked at the congressional hearing in Elko if they made any muddy water, they said they probably did.
You heard about the endangered bull trout like we have to watch that. They tried to get it on the endangered list in '97. It didn't qualify. It wasn't until March of 1999 that they finally pressured someone to help them out with the excuse they wanted to say that's why we didn't fix the road.
Testimony by Nevada Wildlife and Game had no problem with the road being replaced and said the bull trout and the road could coexist without any problem.
That road belongs to Elko County as substantiated by testimony of a historical surveyor at the hearing who went back to the 1800s before the FS existed.
Another interesting thing came out at the hearing presented by the chief of the Shoshone Tribe, part of the FS area. The Feds were to pay $116,000 to the tribe, who have yet to receive the first dollar for it. When the rodents and the scrawly creatures have more rights than people, most sensible people believe it is time to turn up the jets.
SAM DUPUIS
Wellington
