Clear cut Coulee City

At a special Coulee City Town Council meeting I attended on Nov. 17, the park was discussed at length.

Among the issues discussed were: Removal of trees, the possibility of returning the park to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the 2006 grandiose "park plan."

The Mayor said that he and councilmember Shirley Maes had "walked around the park and marked trees for removal and that logging operations had begun." In fact, most of the trees and all of the large shade trees to the west of the park main entrance had already been cut down. It is worth noting the mayor's comment that, "if I had my way, we would shut down everything north of the main entrance." This would be the majority of the revenue-producing area. Now we know where he stands. Fortunately, the USBR has ordered the clear cutting to stop.

In my view, this cutting in the park is a short-sighted, poorly thought out and ill-conceived idea. This is a no-win decision for the town, the citizens, the employees, the business owners and our customers. Though there were a couple of dead trees that should have been removed, most of the others could have been systemically treated for infestations of insects and with wise pruning, could have been saved. Shade is a good thing and our guests expect it especially when temperatures soar.

In my view, the town should hire an arborist (someone who is an expert on trees) as opposed to allowing amateurs to run amuck who know virtually nothing about trees.

Rick Heiberg

Coulee City