Carl Crossman

I was sorry to hear about the deadly earthquake that hit the country of Haiti this week. It turns out that no one really knows the amount of people who were killed or wounded and authorities fear that the number may be as high as 500,00. The magnitude 7.0 quake flattened houses, schools, and government buildings without regard to who was inside or out.

The International Red Cross is hurrying aid to the people and is asking for emergency donations from everyone to help the victims. I plan to send in a check tonight and hope that everyone else will do so as well. In the meantime, I hope that everyone will send up some prayers for the people who are suffering!

One thing that I consider as being important is preserving the many species of animals that live on the earth. One animal that is in danger of extinction is the Kootenai white sturgeon. Since man has put up a dam called the Libby dam, the water levels have changed and caused the fish to not spawn as nature intended. This has left the fish in danger of extinction.

Experts have revealed that there are fewer than 500 of these fish left. They also say that they have not spawned in over 35 years. While there have been recent attempts to fix the problem, the results have been negative. There will be one last attempt made to help the fish when early next year they will flood the river in a last ditch effort to help them spawn. I hope the attempt is successful.

Our country is going through a tough time with the economy; this has forced some people to make some tough decisions. One problem that we are experiencing is pitting environmentalists against workers in the coal mining industry. The state of West Virginia seems to be ground zero for this battle as coal miners feel their livelihoods are being threatened by environmentalists who want to shut down mining operations that are considered to be destructive to the earth.

There have been court battles and many protests on both sides of the issue and no one seems to be winning. In the meantime, miners are continuing to work and make money providing coal to American manufacturers. The beauty of the mountains continues to be decimated by the mining. I hope we can find some kind of solution soon.

There has been some debate lately over who will protect our oceans. A recent die off of nearly 8,000 birds off the coast of Washington state has renewed the debate. An alga appears to have caused the deaths. The algae may have been caused by run off waters that contain fertilizers and other chemicals.

As usual, back in Washington D.C., the senators and congress are trying to get their act together. So far, little has been done to put together some kind of oversight to protect the waters that we all depend on to live. I hope they will be able to put aside their differences and find a way to work together so that we can enjoy our oceans.