Unfettered Letters

A vote for fall flowers

Did we skip winter? The flowering crab tree and forsythia bush near my apartment are in bloom.

That is change I will vote for, and I approve this message.

Marie Watson
Prairie Village

Computers vs. Nature

Regarding many children’s preference for computers vs. nature, (9/24, As I See It, “For many kids, computers are preferred to nature”), this summer I made the decision to eliminate TV/computers from our house. Ultimately, the decision has been beneficial to me and my daughter, as well as other children on our block and entire families within our neighborhood.

Without TV and computers, I no longer depended on technology to babysit my daughter. She and I began taking long walks, marveling at nature along the way. We began talking and our bond grew. We met our neighbors, and soon their children began to join us. We discovered new sights and new friends, introducing neighbors to neighbors, people who lived right next door to each other for years but had not met.

I am not sure we will live the rest of our lives “unplugged,” but for now, the pros outweigh the cons. It was raining this morning as I walked my daughter to school. You can imagine my joy when I heard her exclaim, “I just love the smell of rain,” and watched as she turned and twirled under her bright, yellow umbrella. That is a memory technology could never provide.

Karen Shoemaker
Lee’s Summit

Powell Gardens a delight

I was one of many people who rode the free shuttle from Kauffman Memorial Garden to Powell Gardens on Aug. 9, to attend the Festival of Butterflies and the Chapungu Sculpture Exhibit. I had lunch at Cafe Thyme and enjoyed the afternoon amid the flowers, plantings, butterflies and statues.

I would like to thank the sponsors of the shuttle, the Sprint Foundation and Joan and Bert Berkley for providing this service. It was much appreciated.

Patty McCarty
Kansas City

Drilling for oil in ANWR

The extreme environmentalists quoted in The Star (7/20, A-1, “Thirst for oil turns sanctuary into battleground”) in opposition to drilling in the Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have forgotten the arguments made years ago against the Alaska oil pipeline. The assertions that drilling would damage the caribou herd and interfere with their breeding and reproduction have proved to be false. If George Bush had made the same mistake, it would be called a “lie.”

Now the argument is not that the wildlife will be disturbed by human activity, but that it will become too familiar with us. For that reason, ANWR must remain as is for its “wildness” to be enjoyed by precious few humans.

Meanwhile, poor working stiffs must pay $4 per gallon for gas so that we don’t risk having the shorebirds become too friendly with humans.

Jim O’Connell
Shawnee

With all this talk about gasoline prices and alternative energy sources, there is one thing I know for sure: I cannot put a wind turbine, photovoltaic cell, natural gas or nuclear reactor in my automobile’s gas tank. I need gasoline, and at a reasonable price.

Yes, we must drill our way out of our current situation.

Tom Nelson
Lenexa

There is a long and a short answer to those who think that drilling in ANWR and the eastern Gulf of Mexico will fix our oil problems.

The long answer involves explaining how little oil there is in these areas, how long it will take to develop and how little it will affect the world’s supply and cost. It would take a lot of ink to explain all these shortcomings.

The short answer: T. Boone Pickens.

K.A. Newman
Prairie Village

Pets valued more than coyotes

Joe Miele (5/31, Letters) says Leawood residents should learn to “peacefully coexist” with coyotes. The issue of what to do with these wild critters is simply a value proposition. Which animal is worth more in modern culture: Heidi the Dachshund or a “song dog?” If coyotes are to be protected, why not pesky skunks, house mice and termites? Are these not wildlife and a threat to our lifestyle as well?

Even with more than 70,000 coyotes legally killed in Kansas annually, the population is stable. Coyotes are efficient predators and are known to eviscerate and consume live “bunnies.”

People who respect wildlife appreciate the life cycle. Those who think Bambi is real find predation disturbing.

Coyotes do not discriminate between your pet, your baby or a road-killed possum. They don’t care how much you love your cat, so why waste resources to be humane to Wile E.?

Kill the coyotes. Heidi the Dachshund will thank you over and over.

David Zumbaugh
Shawnee

Learn to live with coyotes

While it is unfortunate that coyotes in Leawood have attacked and killed several dogs in recent months, the coyotes are not to blame for the incidents. To prevent future incidents, our own behavior should be modified. Just as we lock our doors and install security systems to guard against unwanted human activity, we also should humanely protect our property against unwanted wildlife encounters.

Keeping our cats indoors and our dogs leashed will prevent them from being attacked. Securing trash containers and clearing rotting fruit and dense weeds from our property will go a long way toward keeping coyotes away from our homes.

Trapping and killing coyotes is cruel and ineffective. By taking simple measures we can ensure that coyotes will not become a safety threat. To learn how to peacefully coexist with wildlife, visit www.AbolishSportHunting.com.

Joe Miele
President, Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting
Maywood, N.J.

Don't kill the coyotes

I cannot believe that anyone would condone the killing of animals that are just trying to adapt to a changing environment (5/21, Local, "Trapping of coyotes gets Leawood OK").

When humans encroach upon the lands that animals have used for hunting for food for decades, the animals obviously have to move onto greener pastures. Small wild animals like rabbits and rodents are less available to them, so they scrounge for what is helpless and available. Cats are usually the first to go, then small dogs. These small dogs are also a threat to them as they see them as competition.

Capturing the coyotes and relocating them is better than killing them once trapped. That's just cruel. When I lived in California we had the same problem. Fortunately, most people were smart enough to keep their pets in. Too bad that not everybody is that smart.

Amy Rebel
Overland Park

I grew up in Lee's Summit in an area where coyotes are very common, and many outdoor pets in our neighborhood have been lost throughout the years. Although tragic, it is a well-known possibility and part of life if you coexist in an area with wild animals. However, you never heard us crying to the mayor to have the coyotes killed.

Coyotes are part of a natural ecosystem that was around long before our cookie-cutter subdivisions invaded every square inch of open land in this city. It is appalling that these creatures are being euthanized when we are the ones taking away all the wildlife refuges and nature.

Leawood's mayor even stated that people need to own up to the responsibility of watching their animals. You wouldn't leave your 2-year- old child outside unattended. Doesn't a family pet whom you love deserve safety precautions?

We think we can just kill animals off when they inconvenience us by coming into our yards, when we are actually taking away theirs.

Monica Jones
Lee's Summit

Coyotes in Leawood

Where are the cats? The Star’s article (4/20, Local, “City to discuss coyote remedy”) failed to mention the number of missing cats in Leawood.

I live at 126th and Mission Road and have been looking for my cat, Soccer, for five months. One could drive around the area mentioned in your article and see numerous signs posted for missing cats — owners pleading for their cats to be found and fearing the worst.

Driving to middle school at 7:20 a.m., I personally watched a coyote run through the yards of Cherry Creek (west of Mission Road). It is a scary sight. I understand the coyotes have nowhere else to go, but I also fear the aggressiveness of these animals and worry what will be their next victim.

I am an animal lover and fully support the city of Leawood to take action on removing these coyotes. It is the right thing to do.

Vicki Bishop
Leawood

As a small-dog owner and wildlife advocate, I know it is my responsibility to protect my domestic animals as well as the surrounding wildlife and the environment. This is not a novel theory. I am shocked and bewildered at the ignorance of homeowners who react violently if someone’s fence is the wrong size, the landscaping isn’t up to snuff and the ignorance of understanding surrounding wildlife.

People who don’t educate themselves and expect wildlife to cater to their whims are frankly irresponsible. Anyone who has the gall to say the Collarum is a humane trap has obviously not done their research at collarum.com. Not only is this inhumane; these traps are dangerous for domestic pets and children as well.

It takes a village to raise children and be responsible for our environment and wildlife. Wake up and smell the coffee. Educate yourselves Leawood residents, and grow up.

Kathy Much-Lipschutz
Leawood

Factory farms

Missouri lawmakers are on spring break. Some have gone south. Others may stick around and take the opportunity to rediscover Missouri state parks. When they do, a few surprises await.
Roaring River State Park, a favorite for trout anglers, sits downstream from a 65,000-chicken factory farm.
Legislators who are history buffs might visit the Battle of Athens State Historic Site. Smells wafting over the park won’t be from cannon fire — but they might be from tons of hog waste in factory hog operations entrenched nearby.
Animal factories are poised to put thousands of tons of manure within stinking distance of sacred sites like Arrow Rock.
Harry Truman wouldn’t begrudge legislators heading south for relaxation. He did it himself. But what if he returned to find a factory farm too close to a park or historic site? Give ’Em Hell Harry just might have a message for returning lawmakers: Don’t let factory farms foul our Missouri parks.
John Robinson
Former Missouri director of tourism
Columbia

Protect the night sky

I encourage the swift passage of the Missouri Night Sky Protection Act. As you have read on the site, missourinspa.googlepages.com, there are many great reasons to adopt light pollution restrictions over our state parks, both economic and environmental.
What cannot be quantified are the hopes and aspirations of our children, grandchildren and future Missourians. A book about the U.S. flag published by Congress in 1977 states: “The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial.”
A night under the stars gives our citizens an escape from daily hassles and an opportunity to contemplate life’s greater questions. It has inspired writers and artists throughout history and across cultures.
The extinction of this public natural resource is the same as the loss of our Ozark streams or any other ecosystem.
We have a simple choice: Either we let our stars fade away over our state parks or seek the truth about light pollution and the knowledge to remediate it.
Robert Wagner
Kansas City