Mr. Dicks is up to his old tricks again. Three years ago when I took my
class of fourth and fifth graders to Washington D.C. to share a stage
performance and our knowledge to save the N.W ancient forests he told the
kids the same thing. I would have thought he'd have learned something in
the subsequent years, either from the kids or from science. In his office
he raised his voice (as he does when he wants to get his way) and pointed
at the kids that "the old trees will all die and fall down together and
be wasted". The students sat patiently and waited until he was finished
with his arguments of depressed communities and people committing suicide
because of a lack of timber. The first response was that "all" the trees
don't fall down at the same time and that the dead and dying trees are
very useful to the wildlife and the ecosystem they are in. It looks like
Mr. Dicks is getting his way these days of resource extraction at almost
any cost, even subsidies.
Some freinds of mine just finished a week in the backcountry roadless
areas of Thunder Mtn. near Winthrop. This is the area of fires this past
summer where intense pressure is on to salvage the "dead and dying" trees.
In these beautiful habitats, even after the fires,they found three
three-toed woodpeckers busy at work in this paradise of reach forage.
Also, spotted were four sets of Lynx tracks, one of which was a kit. All
this and more in the proposed area for salvage logging. There is forest
service meeting on March 15th about this area at the office in Mountlake
Terrace 21905 64th Ave. W. Take exit 179 from I-5, turn west and take
first right into the parking lot of the brick building.

I would like to share more youthful activities about the class in regards
to birding later. I recall the thread on young birders.

-dean drugge
classroom educator/environmentalist and proud of both