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Letters to the editor: She likes the bus service in town, but what about weekend trips? I am a senior citizen who really appreciates our bus service. I have always hoped they would have Saturday or Sunday bus service. Many seniors are busy baby sitting through the week and would like to explore the community on weekends. There are no matinees at the movies except on weekends. Our free bus service has been an unexpected delight. I am grateful for what we have but I know a lot of senior citizens would take advantage of an opportunity to get out and about on a weekend as well. Peggy Bennett, Ashland War on terror, gloom and doom With all the focus on the war on terrorism, I am surprised that there has been little said about the psychological effect of all this 'gloom and doom' on our economy and general quality of life. Our economy, when good, is supported primarily by optimism from both investors and consumers. Why then does Mr. Bush constantly tell us that "the world is still a very dangerous place?" Could it be that he is enjoying the political advantage as our savior? When Mr. Bush first used the phrase axis of evil," I was aghast. It was so negative, pessimistic and untrue that I felt sure he'd get hammered by the media and the American public. But strangely, it played very well in America. And now we have armed guards at the Medford airport? Wow. The world is in fact a beautiful and remarkably safe place, given the number of people and ideologies co-existing on the Earth. But our politicians and the news media both stand to gain by highlighting the negative. So as a result, paranoia runs deep throughout mainstream America today. And the weak economy won't improve until we regain our famous American optimism. But the Bush administration continues to use pessimism as a political tool, which dampens my typical optimism. And I suspect that this administration's negative attitude comes from a deeply held and sincere religious view: original sin, man is basically a sinner and all that fundamentalist dogma that has caused so much bloodshed throughout man's history. Ely Schless, Ashland Guest forum: A common sense approach to improving Mt. Ashland By Jeff Hanson Ashland The Forest Service will soon release a second comprehensive Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which will evaluate options for improvements to the Mt. Ashland Ski Area. Winter recreation at Mt. Ashland is a vital part of the quality of life in this region and there is strong support for providing the ingredients for its successful future. Planning for improvements has been ongoing for decades. The present proposal being considered is a product of years of research and work with the public, the Forest Service, professional ski area planners, environmental groups, environmental scientists and ski area users. It reflects a concerted effort to meet as many objectives of each of these interests as possible, while meeting the basic need to provide for a healthy future for the ski area and the ecosystem within which it operates. The proposal has been adapted, whittled and tweaked and represents a plan that has implemented many compromises to make it environmentally sound while meeting the needs of a modern ski area. The plan represents the first upgrade of the ski terrain on Mt. Ashland since it opened 40 years ago. Through this process, I've seen emotional and dramatic arguments on both sides. I'm hoping that we can all listen to each other, look at the facts presented by the Forest Service, and find a way to move forward with this common sense approach to improving this important recreational resource. Factual information is important in understanding any complex issue. It is important that information be accurately portrayed. For instance, according to the 1991 Forest Service EIS, it is accurate that there are presently 114 acres of ski runs (skiable acres) on Mt. Ashland, within an overall use area of 287 acres - which includes buildings, parking lots and a variety of other areas closed to skiing. And, according to the 2000 DEIS, even if all the runs in the expansion plan were eventually provided, the skiable acreage would increase to about 200 acres, within an overall area (most of which closed to skiing) of about 600 acres. In comparison with Mt. Bachelor's 3,683 skiable acres within an overall special use permit acreage of 8,122 acres, the Mt. Ashland Ski Area will remain quite modest. To clarify another fact - though, like most areas only crowded at times, the Mt. Ashland Ski Area does have the highest utilization rate of any ski area in the region. The math is simple. The capacity of the area is divided by the use (skier visits). Due to the limited amount of terrain (particularly easier terrain which has a higher safe capacity per acre), Mt. Ashland has a high utilization rate. For this past season the rate was 42% vs. 24% for Mt. Bachelor. Expansion of lifts and runs is necessary in order to provide a safer and more pleasant guest experience. Additionally, since it has such limited intermediate terrain, there is crowding in those areas while the excess expert terrain is often under-used. The plan concentrates on providing a better terrain balance by adding considerable novice and intermediate terrain. I agree with those who say we must pay attention to the facts as we consider improvements to Mt. Ashland. The DEIS will provide a framework for discussion. The Mt. Ashland Association realizes there is still a lot of work ahead to gain approval of our plan to build a great future for Mt. Ashland. The Association ready to work with the regional communities to fund and create improvements that will lead toward a successful future at Mt. Ashland. Editor's note: Jeff Hanson is general manager of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area. 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 -