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Letters: North Mountain Park is tops This past week I was in Ashland for my Aunt's 60th wedding anniversary, which was a great chance for me to spend time with her, my cousins and their families. But while in Ashland I also wanted to spend some time playing soccer and was graciously welcomed by the Ashland Soccer Club to join them for a Friday morning game at 6 a.m. at North Mountain Park. I have played, coached and refereed on many fields but your complex at North Mountain Park is the finest I've ever seen. And then to be able to play soccer early in the morning (the temp was actually less than 100 degrees!) on velvety grass alongside a nature area while the sun rose over the mountains was as close to heaven as I've ever been. Thanks for your foresight in creating such a beautiful park, and thanks especially to Brad Roupp and the Ashland Soccer Club for making me feel so welcome while I was visiting your town. Kirk Evenson Sioux Falls, South Dakota *** Woman's honesty, kindness a wonderful gift About a month ago I was in Ashland visiting friends. It was my first visit to the Northwest. Your town is a beautiful one and my visit was gratifying on a number of levels. While lunching one day along Lithia Creek, unbeknownst to me, my purse dropped on the park bench beside me. Finishing lunch with my friends, we gathered all of our belongings (I thought) and went on our way. It wasn't until we were in the car going out of town that I realized my purse was missing. With a visceral feeling of dread we headed back into town to retrace our travels of the day. My mind was clicking through all the possibilities; what I needed to do to cancel credit cards, get a new drivers' license, cell phone, etc. Living in a society where we are reminded on a daily basis how awful life can be, I predicted that my purse was picked up and that I would probably never see its contents again. I wasn't wrong about it being picked up. It was. However, I was completely wrong about the negative ending. A gracious young woman by the name of Suzannah Nelson picked it up and left in its place a note saying where I could come and claim it. She also left a message at the motel I was staying at indicating the same thing. Thanks to her honesty my visit to your lovely town was one of wonderful memories. Mariann Hotchkiss Colorado *** Guest forum: City Council, residents: Stop the expansion By Shannon Clery Ashland I was stunned by some of the city councilors' comments to the Tidings on July 30 regarding the proposed Mt. Ashland expansion and the council's role in this issue. Amaratico, this is NOT just an independent business minding their own business! This decision will affect acres of pristine public land in the city's watershed. And of course there is a chance of financial liability for the city, the city holds the use permit. Hearn, this is not simply a decision about operation and management. This is an IRREVERSIBLE decision that would greatly affect our watershed and surrounding wilderness. I'd hardly call getting involved in such a monumental decision micro-management. With the release of the new Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), I would like to remind everyone to keep in mind that the Forest Service has absolutely no obligation to analyze and decide if ski area expansion is the best decision for our community. That is up to the community and our government representatives. Quite to the contrary, the Forest Service has an obligation to approve an expansion plan as long as they disclose all the impacts to the best of their knowledge in a DEIS and none of our limited environmental laws are broken. This is according to an outdated mandate of multiple use of public lands that continues to shrink our wild lands and degrade our natural resources and biodiversity with no regard to the limits of the ecosystem. Do not look to the DEIS for the answer to whether expansion is right or wrong. It is extremely unjust that the Forest Service and the Mt. Ashland Ski Association are allowed to decide to further degrade the watershed with acres of maintained clear-cuts for a sport that benefits relatively few. City councilors, Ashland residents, for the health of our forests and water supply we must resist this stupid decision to do irreparable harm to the fragile wetlands of the Middle Fork of Ashland Creek.to speak out strongly against this proposal. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -