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Emerald exchange

I would like to put in perspective the situation of the neighbors who are complaining about the Emerald Mountain Exchange.

Homeowners John and Jane Smith live next door to an empty lot owned by the county because of unpaid taxes. They and their family and friends store things on this lot, and it gives them access to the National Forest. Its use is therefore very valuable to them.

In due course, the lot is sold at auction, and the new owner fences it. John and Jane are very annoyed and walk around telling their neighbors they never would have bought their home it they'd known the lot could be sold. They feel as though some of their rights have been taken away.

A friend explains to them that the county had the right to sell the lot, and the new owner had the right to fence it. The neighbors never had any shadow of a right to use the lot for storage or access. They have no redress. Eventually, they feel more comfortable as they come to see the logic of the situation.

Are the Routt County neighbors asserting that the federal government has less property rights than an individual or a county? That is clearly not so. The BLM has the property right to sell its land.

The BLM wishes to sell the lands in question, in many cases because the lands are inaccessible to the public. Many of these lands are landlocked or otherwise inaccessible. The people of the United States, the owners of the land, are locked out from using these lands. The sale and concurrent exchange will make a smaller number of acres fully usable by the people. So the lands are up for sale. If they are not sold to facilitate the Emerald Mountain exchange, they will be sold without benefit to the people of the county.

The Emerald Mountain Group, which was appointed by the county commissioners and the City Council, has been working on trying to protect Emerald Mountain for many years, and thought that finally they had found a solution via the exchange suggested by the BLM. They had no inkling that there would be a problem. The opposition struck them like a thunderbolt. With the benefit of hindsight, they should have foreseen the problem, and worked with the neighbors from the beginning.

There is clearly much misunderstanding going on here. I suggest it may be appropriate for representatives of the two groups to meet in a conciliatory atmosphere with the BLM, so that all sides can start to understand each others' problems, and perhaps find some constructive solutions.

Bob Enever

Steamboat Springs

Support Kleiber

I do not believe the city of Steamboat Springs, its town board or its employees are acting consistently with the spirit of our community in denying Dave Kleiber's employee benefits to which he may be entitled but which he certainly should receive.

How ironic it is that our community supports its young skiing athletes and encourages them to represent our community and our country, not because we have to or are obligated to, but rather because we are proud of them and because they represent the community of Steamboat and the United States. It is that voluntary support that has resulted in more Steamboat skiers representing our community and the United States in the Winter Olympics than any other community.

So should Steamboat be committed to supporting our troops, who sacrifice much for our benefit and represent our community and America.

Steamboat and Routt County have a proud tradition supporting those who have served in the armed forces and represented us and America throughout the world. They have earned and deserve Steamboat's respect and our support.

Vance E. Halvorson

Steamboat Springs

Ski pass prices

I'm surprised Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. has hit families hard this year. Even though the company held the line on adult season passes, Ski Corp. raised teen season passes more than 30 percent and college passes about 20 percent. Ski Corp is losing its family-friendly standing in my book.

Ann Holmes

Steamboat Springs

Drug testing

In response to some of the few dissenting opinions regarding the Hayden School District Voluntary Drug Testing Policy, I would like to say these K-12 years are habit-forming years, where positive or negative peer pressure can have huge lifestyle or career impacts.

It is not unusual or unexpected that youths at these high school ages and developmental levels would choose to view the issue as a control or restriction. We, as community, parents and educators, have a responsibility to do our very best to protect the integrity of the educational environment for our kids. This includes supporting students who make wise decisions, strong parenting at these critical ages, and appropriate intervention by teachers and school administrators.

Whether or not all students and parents agree with this course of action, I would hope that we do agree that a lack of response to an increasing problem would not be prudent or responsible.

Dissenters to the recommended voluntary random drug testing being proposed for Hayden High School will have a tendency to highlight the negative implications rather that than the proactive, supportive educational steps designed in the process.

The sincere hope is to create enough of a deterrent to turn these teachable moments into life-changing experiences, in lieu of allowing self-destructive behavior to compromise student goals of obtaining a high school education.

Brian Hoza

Hayden School Board member