Sunday, September 30, 2012

A Sad Month For Bayview

I always hate these recaps of local resident's misfortunes, but this month has topped the charts.

First, Two deaths. Greg Williams and Andy Pierce, former asst. Fire chief in Bayview.

Then, although we knew Jodie Hull and her long time partner, Ivar weren't doing well, I just recently found out they are in an assisted living facility in Post Falls. Life Care Center has two operations there. The typical nursing or recovery center, and another called Life Care Garden Plaza, which is an assisted living facility. I believe they are in the Garden Plaza.

Skip Wilcox went in to surgery for a heart bypass and ended up with two new heart valves plus a triple bypass. He is currently in an induced coma, but is expected to survive. He is currently in Kootenai Memorial Hospital.

Hobart Jenkins is in Life Care, with Claire Cosgrove, in the Garden Plaza facility. Jenkins, a retired president of Spokane Community College and community leader in Bayview has had declining health for the last year. I don't have accurate information as to every one's age, but I believe Hob Jenkins is around 86 or so.

When I think about my survival cjhances at age 74 after many years of a questionable life style, I'm reminded of a story that appeared in the spokes,man-Review a while back about a guy from Worley that knew he was dying and had a sense of humor. He wrote his own obit which was a hoot. If I don't go suddenly, I may follow in his footsteps.

On the good news side, Kyle Streater, Mark's son, has just recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan, unhurt and apparently of sound mind as well. Welcome back, Kyle. I hesrd he spent most of his time in a guard tower. With his height I would have thought he would have BEEN the tower.

If any of this information is incorrect, please call it to my attention, as well as any other events that I may not have heard of yet. Friends cannot visit or sent well wishes if they don't know where they are.

to bcc: me
FYI
Skip's family has requested no visitors at the hospital at this time. Skip is holding his own and in intensive care. If people want to send cards, please send as follows. If someone is in the area of the hospital and want to drop a card, they need to take it to the information desk on the first floor and not go to the unit where Skip is recovering.
Donald "Skip" Wilcox
C/O Kootenai Medical Center
2003 Kootenai Health Way
Coeur D'Alene, ID 83814

Update on Skip Wilcox isn't real positive. He is not waking up, so the doctors are reducing his pain meds in case they are at fault.He is still on a ventilator and is not breathing for himself.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Reverse Research

Back in the day, researchers used to examine new evidence collectively until they reached a provable conclusion.

Today, a conclusion is reached politically, then research begins with the goal of proving the point already reached. Here are some examples of politically  driven science:

Global Warming. Like this is the first time our planet earth has heated and cooled without our help. Scientists that are politically driven do not give one minute to the study of whether the phenomenon is natural or not. It is preconceived. Apparently the periodic ice ages and the warming trends are being ignored. They don't fit the conclusion first reached. How about the animals frozen for centuries in glaciers that when stomach contents are examined, tropical or sub-tropical plants are found.

Reintroduction of predators. Sounds great, right? Bring back the balance nature once controlled. Problem? People that need to be fed are here in large numbers now. Reading every day, about how fish  and game and politicians are attempting to find ways whereby wolves and cougars can coexist with domestic livestock. They can't. Predators cannot be taught that slow moving cows and sheep should be ignored while being allowed to decimate the deer and elk herds that also feed people. Anyone remember when the U.S. Government, in the pursuit of ranching, paid bounties on wolves, cougars and other predators?

Forestry practices. Here again, tree huggers ignore solutions for healthy forest management, because of the foregone conclusion that cutting any tree for any reason is wrong. Extremists are a necessary force for improvement. Having said that, it is the compromise between opposite views that produce real progress. Cleaner water, air many other horrors from the past were reversed by extremists. Just don't let them get a majority.

Folks, we live in a period where the inmates are running the asylums and our politicians are bowing down to the extremists that start with conclusions and end up with lame research.
(picture from google)

Thursday, September 27, 2012

A Shocking Sight

Heading back from Colville, Washington on yet another trek to discover our family heritage, I stopped for gas in Chewelah. Right smack in the middle of town was a Chevron Station at the traffic light.The only light in town.

I pulled up to the pump prepared to get out and gas up the car. But no. This was a full service station. The owner actually pumped my gas and cleaned the windshield. I was stunned at the sight, since the last full service station I have seen was too far back in memory to recall.

I asked the proprietor whether he was full service out of choice or was he just too cheap to buy a computerized system? He chuckled and said, "well, kind of both but everyone seems to like it this way so I keep on doing it." As I turned around to reenter the intersection to 49 degrees north, I swung by the pumps where he was filling a lady's tank. I stopped and suggested he rename the station, Dinosaur Chevron. They broke up and I continued on my way. For those that are interested, which is probably just the places I buy gas, it is exactly 108 miles from my door to Colville. 

Colville is a laid back town even for wildlife. During the afternoon I spotted four deer munching on lawns.One was in a school yard.

Monday, September 24, 2012

E-Mail To Leonard Pitts

When I read an editorial, I fully expect a subjective point of view. That's why they are published on an op/ed page. Yours however ignore two important things. One, not all racists are white, and two, your facts get confused with the direction you are trying to slant.


The particular editorial I'm referring to is the letter to Vanessa. In this weak attempt to include all of your own prejudices, you have hit on a couple that you need to learn about. In stating that Mitt Romney's father was born in Mexico and that John McCain was born in Panama, here is where you drifted into pure fiction.
 
First, there are exceptions to the requirement that to be a natural born American, you need to be born here, That is untrue. One exception is if your parents are in military service and serving in another country. John MCain's father was a renown Admiral in the U.S. Navy, stationed at the Panama Canal Zone. Another is if you are born of a missionary family, as one of my granddaughters were. In that case you merely have to report the birth to the embassy where they certify the child as an American.
 
In the other, citing Mitt Romney's father being born in Mexico. Now I'm not sure whether Romney senior was a Mexican or more likely was either serving his country or his religion. What you have done though, proving that when you have a perfectly good rant going your brain stops working, is insult the children of the immigrants that populated our country and with that mixture of cultures made out country great. At this point, I might add that while citizens of other countries enthusiastically flock to the United States, the opposite isn't true.
 
You have shown by your lack of variety in subject matter, that you are one of the worst cases of racism I know of You see, you do not have to be white to be a racist.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Stevens County Roots

August 18, I published a first trip into the lands of my father and mother, with emphasis on Mom's teaching career. As usual when doing research, one uncovers just as many errors as good information . We now have a mostly positive record of where she taught and when.

Her first School was Lead Point, the school year of 1929-30. Lead point just a couple of miles east of Deep Lake, was once a vibrant mining town, as the name implies. It was her first opportunity to  teach right out of school. Hired by the Hartbauers, she reported that the community adopted this rookie with assistance and affection that lasted the lifetimes of those then involved.

Her second year puzzled us. Well, I'm getting ahead of myself as I often do. It was at the Aladdin School which absorbed the Meadow Creek School where my Dad and sisters attended and was located where Rocky Creek intersected Deep Creek at the Aladdin Road. That was the next year, 1930-31. There she met a single farm boy with an unusual amount of enthusiasm for the new teacher. They were soon engaged to be married which took place December 30, 1931, during that 1930-31 school year. They were hitched in Seattle, undoubtedly due to the fact that all of Mom's family were there.

Scooting back to Aladdin, they got back in time to resume the school year, after Christmas vacation. The mystery that plagued Brian, brother Stan and I was why, after a successful year at Lead Point, another at Aladdin, did she teach her third year back at Lead Point. One small sentence in a family letter, of which Nina Huseland was a prolific writer solved the mystery. She remarked while at Aladdin that," this was my second year in the district." Apparently due to the shifting in school student populations in those years, the two schools formed a district, whether formally or adhoc. She was still at home after the trifecta of Lead point, Aladdin then Lead Point again. Another puzzle was what happened in the school year of 32-33.

Her maiden name was Nina Barton, soon to be Nina Huseland, sister of Nellie Barton who became Nellie Sweat of the Chewelah Sweats who still run a cattle ranch up Sand canyon past the airport and golf course on the north fork  of Chewelah Creek, and who taught school in the Valley schools, (6th) grade for many years. She once retired, then upon her husband Elmer catching Rheumatic Fever, which takes months or more to recover from, went back to teaching at her old school.

The year of 1932-33 was still up in the air when my older brother reminded me that Mom had a miscarriage before he was born in October of 1935. We know for certain that she taught at Onion Creek the following year, causing husband, Amos to trek miles up over the hill to visit his newly wed wife.

Most of her teaching career was in the Aladdin Valley with the exception of Onion Creek. We finally realized that by taking 1932-33 off from teaching, she had been replaced at both schools. The opening at Onion Creek being the only opening she had, even though it was so far from home. We think she only taught there one year, but the references to close friendships to the Lotzes, (Helen, Sadie and others,) and that she took in two young ladies from the same family as boarders during her years teaching, not necessarily at the same time or even the same schools, the Bjornstad sisters, Lillian and Alma. Lillian later married Allen Duncan, but Mom never mentioned whether Alma married, just that she had moved to Winchester, Idaho. It also remains possible that she taught at Onion Creek during that missing year. The Isabel Wright- Nelson was also mentioned as her only 8th grade student at Onion creek. She later lived in with Nina &Amos to take care of newly born Stanley Huseland, while Nina resumed teaching at the Spirit School. Her last year was 1937, from which the family leased the Grace ranch to the Fredericksons and migrated to the Seattle area, relocating to Renton, Washington during the majority of the years there.

The last two or three years she taught, prior to retiring as a teacher to take on a more daunting job, that of mother, was at the Spirit School just south of the Spirit junction of Aladdin Road and Deep Lake Road. Dad, you see, had inherited the Pat Grace Ranch from his mother, having been widowed seven years earlier from Gunder Huseland, a Meadow Creek Homesteader. Spirit School was only about 3 or 4 miles from the ranch, where Amos also discovered several lead/Zinc claims on the hill side known as Blue Ridge for it's many lead deposits. It was sold in 1940 and was mined and milled there for many years. The name changed, but it was on what is now called goldfield Road. The Pat Grace homestead is where the current junk yard sits at the intersection of Gold field and Aladdin Road.

What we are looking for now, and it is a tough job, since most have past on, are older people that may have been Nina Barton-Huseland's students, or members of those families that have either memories or knowledge of those years from the four schools she taught at. Lead Point, Aladdin, Onion Creek and Spirit school between the years of 1929 and 1937. If you belong to this group please write either to Herb Huseland, PO Box 884, Bayview, Idaho, or e-mail me at bayviewherb@gmail.com

Eventually, I hope to write a book consisting of the second wave of immigrants from the turn of the century in 1900 to about 1930 when timber claims were allowed in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties to form free homesteads. Prominent names of that era were the Loiselles, Hartbauers, Hiatts, Doc Parsons The Phillips family and many others. That area consisted of Loggers, Miners, farmers, ranchers and such. After about 1960 or so, the back to the land craze hit, peaking about 1970, where disenchanted Vietnam Vets coming home to a hostile nation, sought isolation and moved as far into the hinterlands as they could. The area around Northport and Onion Creek was the destination of many. That they moved back into the wilds for the reason they did is a national shame. That they did well, formed a cohesive comunity, is a credit to their grit, survival skills, and a gift for dificult horticulture. Some raised gardens, others livestock and who knows what others did. They just survived and what started out in the early years as a logging camp, after that generation retired became gradually what it is now. Onion Creek School district will not merge with others. Joel Anderson explained. "This school is what keeps us a community instead of a scattered few farms without any connection with each other." I agree.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Farragut Firing Range Appeal

The other day I received three e-mails informing me of the Idaho Supreme Court hearing on the Idaho department of Fish &  Game loss in Mitchell's court. Judge Mitchell had essentially sunk the ill advised attempt by F&G to reestablish a World War 11 Training range that was never permitted for civilian use after the war.

This case was supposed to have been heard at 10:00 am last Wednesday. Now suddenly the sound of silence.Can anyone tell me what did or didn't happen in this case? Please comment.

***Reply from Sheryl Puckett:

Case was heard, packed courtroom, only four judges attended the fifth will listen to the tapes, Harvey did a great job, they have no time limits as to when they render a decision, could be two weeks, two months, or maybe a lot longer. We now wait.

Reply from Jeanne Holder:

Very sorry that I haven't followed through with an update regarding the Farragut hearing. I assumed that you saw the CDA Press article and I'm not sure I could top that. See below: Except for the interesting fact that IDFG Trever daringly used a statement out of the 2007 order (and restated in the CDA Press article) which during trial , Trever made the same argument, out of context, and it inflamed Judge Mitchell so much that he threatened to sanction her, not only in Court but also in his dated Aug. 25, 2011. I will send that to you in my next email to keep this from being so wordy.

" The 2007 order on the case, Trever added, described that "except for the absence of baffles, the range is relatively safe."

Alicia is not completely correct when she states " Three incidents of bullets escaping the range resulted in a group of Bayview residents suing Fish and Game". CARE sued IDFG because there was a substantial change of usage which created a nuisance and under Idaho law at the time, citizens were allowed to sue for nuisance if they can prove there has been a substantial change of use and they bring forth their suit within three years of the substantial change. We won on the noise issue and IDFG did not appeal, instead they created legislation that allowed for a louder range then we have ever heard. Judge Mitchell found this legislation unconstitutional and IDFG appealed to the Supreme Court, along with the safety issue.

Respectfully,
Jeanne

More from Jeanne:

Trevor again stated this comment to the Supremes (trying to convince that Judge Mitchell considered the range safe except for not having a baffle.)- "However, the Court found the Range relatively safe for use up to 500
shooters "[e]xcept for the fact that the existing range contains no baffle."

Below is what Mitchell said about it in his order.

....
IDFG supports its claim that "As a fundamental matter, the mere identification of

ricochet 'hazards' on the Range does not demonstrate harm to the Plaintiffs", with the

following convoluted reasoning:

In 2006, the Plaintiffs had the burden of showing clear endangerment to those outside the area
owned and controlled by IDFG. However, the Court found the Range relatively safe for use up to 500
shooters "[e]xcept for the fact that the existing range contains no baffle. 2007 Order at 46.

Id., p. 13. Because of the words IDFG omitted from this portion of this Court's prior decision,
IDFG's claim is completely false and intentionally misleading. Here is what the Court wrote, in
context and in its entirety:
The Court finds this remedy [closing Farragut range to everyone] is not
warranted. Except for the fact that the existing range contains no baffle,
MEMORANDUM DECISION, FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER FOLLOWING COURT TRIAL ON
DEFENDANT'S
MOTION FOR PARITAL LIFTING OF INJUNCTION (SAFETY ISSUES)
Page 22
the range is relatively safe as to its level of use up to and including 2002.

February 23, 2007, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order, p. 46. AS found by this Court
the level of use in 2002 was 176 shooters for that entire year. Id., p. 4. This Court found that
as of the 2006 trial, the level of use "has expanded significantly since 2002." Id. Thus, for
IDFG to make the claim "However, the Court found the Range relatively safe for use up to 500
shooters "[e]xcept for the fact that the existing range contains no baffle", and cite this Court's
February 23, 2007, opinion as authority
is simply disingenuous. IDFG's making that false claim by using an incomplete quote of the Court,
can only be construed by this Court as an intentional act by counsel, an act that may warrant a
sanction. The issue of a sanction will be left for another day, and counsel's misconduct will not
be held against IDFG. What is pertinent today is that this Court has never held all that was
needed to make the range safe for up to 500 shooters was the installation of a baffle.
What the Court did hold was: "The baffle must be placed and be of sufficient size that the shooter,
in any position (standing, kneeling, prone), cannot fire his or her weapon above the berm behind
the target." While the Court did not mention "ricochets" in so holding, neither did the Court
mention "direct fire". A review of this Court's notes from the December 11, 12, 14, 14, 2006,
trial shows "ricochet" was only mentioned once, in passing, by IDFG's expert Roy Ruel, when he
mentioned a ricochet can occur off the ground or floor of the range. If a shooter, intentionally
or accidentally, shoots
into the floor, and doing so causes a good likelihood of that bullet travelling over the berm
behind the target, then the requirement that the shooter "cannot fire his or her weapon above the
berm behind the target", has not been met.

2 attachmentsDownload all attachments
20110825_CV%202005.pdf20110825_CV%202005.pdf
185K View Download
smime.p7ssmime.p7s
6K Download
The above attachemts are very long and consist of the original ruling by Judge Mitchell. If anyone wants it they can e-mail a request to me and I'll send them to you.
 
P.S. I don't read the Coeur d'Alene Press
 
 
 
 
.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

2012 Oktoberfish

Don't miss the best fishing of the year. Oktoberfish. Idaho Fish & Game has donated funds for extra prizes. Call Ralph's Cafe for details 208-683-2218. Single click on poster for larger view.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Panhandle Sun Dies

As I suspected from near the start, the Sun is no more. It goes without saying that everyone connected with the paper, especially including the investors gave it all they had. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough journalistic knowledge in the organization, nor was there enough effort given to quality content.

It looked to me, especially after I was limited to 300 words for Bayview Daze, and the issue two days later had a half page farewell letter from the departing editor, plus a two full page history of Houser Lake, all in one issue. Obviously, that left little room or editorial judgement for success.

It was a nice try, but the wrong people were listened to and the rest is a short history. I will say this about the paper. I thought the layout and art work were superb. With the stories being more of local interest and ads follow local interest, it might have made it. It's a rough business even at the best of times. For those that poured their very souls into the paper, Crystal Jensen and Shelley Chambers, I feel badly that the rest of the staff didn't measure up. Even if they had, it is questionable in this economy if they could have made it.

As always, I will try to keep track of things in the surrounding communities on this blog. I am limited though, to information that is shared with me. e-mail or phone me with stories, events , etc and I will do my best to pass them on. Bless the investors that had a great idea, and put their money up without hesitation.

I also accept ads, except I'm not an illustrator and you must submit a finished product. I have a side bar that is usable for this purpose.

Herb Huseland

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Supreme Court To Hear Shooting Range Appeal

The Idaho Supreme Court Hearing (regarding Farragut Shooting Range) will be heard
in the Coeur D'Alene Courthouse (old building) in Courtroom 1 at 8:50 am on
Wednesday, September 19, 2012.  This is open to the public and we hope to
see you there. The Idaho Supreme Court Press Release is stated below for
your information regarding this appeal.

Regards,
Chuck Murray and Jeanne Holder



CITIZENS AGAINST RANGE
EXPANSION, JEANNE J. HOM, EUGENE
RILEY, KATHLEEN RILEY, LAMBERT
RILEY, DENISE RILEY, GABRIELLE
GROTH-MARNAT, GERALD PRICE,
RONALD ELDRIDGE, DOROTHY
ELDRIDGE, GLENN CHAPIN, LUCY
CHAPIN, SHERYL PUCKETT, CHARLES
MURRAY, CYNTHIA MURRAY, DAVIE
VIG,
Plaintiffs-Respondents,
v.
FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT, VIRGIL
MOORE,
Defendants-Appellants.
______________________________________
))))))))))))))))))))
Docket No. 39297

Appeal from the District Court of the First Judicial District, State of
Idaho,
Kootenai County. Hon. John T. Mitchell, District Judge.
Honorable Lawrence G. Wasden, Idaho Attorney General, Boise, for appellants.
Scott W. Reed, Coeur d'Alene, and Harvey Richman, Athol, for respondents
_____________________
This appeal comes to the Idaho Supreme Court after protracted litigation
regarding the
Farragut Shooting Range in Bayview. The Citizens Against Range Expansion
(CARE), composed
of individuals who reside near the range, sued the Idaho Department of Fish
and Game (IDFG) in
2005. Based on safety and noise concerns, CARE sought to enjoin IDFG's use
and expansion of
the range. The district court granted injunctive relief and closed the
range. It then set safety
requirements for reopening the range for up to 500 shooters per year, and
safety and noise
requirements for reopening it for more than 500 shooters. In 2010, after
making modifications to
the range, IDFG filed a Motion for Partial Lifting of Injunction.


Citizens Against Range Expansion v. Fish and Game Department, S.Ct. 39297
Page 2
_______________________
The district court denied the motion after determining that IDFG had not met
the
requirements for lifting the injunction for up to 500 shooters. The court
found that the terms of the
injunction order were not met because bullets could escape downrange via
ricochet. Further, the
district court determined that the Idaho Outdoor Sport Shooting Act, which
was enacted by the
Idaho Legislature in 2008, was an unconstitutional special law and violation
of judicial power.
Because the noise standards adopted by the Act were unconstitutional, the
court concluded that
IDFG had not yet complied with the noise requirements for lifting the
injunction for more than 500
shooters. IDFG appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.














Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Captain's Wheel Entertainment

The Captain's Wheel Restaurant & Lounge will present Sammy Eubanks Live in concert starting at 7:00 pm, Friday, September 14. Do not miss this one. Come early, have dinner and a great seat while waiting for entertainment to start. 208-683-6504

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Rememberance

As the years go by in our nations history, many events fade back into obscurity, or are totally forgotten. Some, a few, are not.

For my generation it is/was Pearl Harbor.As long as we live we will never forget the Japanese sneak attack of December 7, 1941, nor should we.There, on a peaceful Sunday morning at around 0700, Japanese bombers flew unopposed over Pearl Harbor, Scofield Barracks and many other naval and military targets. All of our battleships were sunk, some to be re floated and resurrected into fighting units again used in the coming battles through the Pacific to a final surrender in Tokyo Bay on the Battleship Missouri, which was built after the war started and was refitted for Korea and again for Viet Nam. it has finally come to rest as it should, next to the sunken battleship Arizona, which even underwater, is still a commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy.

Your generation will feel about the same, as the entire country mourned the deaths today,  not of military or naval forces, but civilian office workers in the twin towers of Manhattan, New York..September 11, 2001 will be burned into your memories just as December 7, 1941. These dates will both live in infamy for the life of this country and will never be forgotten. What was worse about the fanatical Muslim attack on New York, was first, more died there than at Pearl Harbor, and because they were all non-combatants. People that all of the rules of war are designed to protect.

The live televised horror of people jumping to their deaths rather than stay where they were and burn was a first in news coverage. Never in the history of the world has a tragedy of this magnitude been recorded as It happened. Most of us are shielded by the separation of events and the stories written about them. That made the horror of the event even worse.

May the Bastards that warped their religion into what some, even many of them now believe it is a religious war. Perhaps it is time for us to recognize that in fact it is.

Monday, September 10, 2012

End Of Summer Party

MacDonald's Resort put on a great show Saturday afternoon and evening. I couldn't risk parking up above and then walking back up due to recent health problems, but those that did attend had a ball. Hopefully Gary will do it again next year, with more prior notice and perhaps a shuttle to parking up this hill.

I listened to the music from across the Bay and it was fantastic. Ya done good, Gary.

Due to the same temporary health issues, I failed for the first time in 8 years to attend the Naval Reunion at Farragut. It's a great program and with Errin running it, it is a smooth operation. Fewer vets that did boot camp there are still with us but it was opened up to all prior service sailors.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Gary MacDonald Announces End od Summer Party


I just wanted to mention that we are going to have a "End of Summer - Start of a Beautiful Fall" party on Saturday, the 8th of September, starting about 6:30 p.m.  It will be heldat the Marina.

We will have a blues/country/classic rock singer/guitarist (Pat Coast from Post Falls) playing from about 6:30 to 7:45. 

During that time we will be selling hotdogs for a $1.00; canned beer for a dollar; and soft drinks or water for 50 cents.  At 8:00 p.m. the band that Justin MacDonald is in, Eclectic Approach from Seattle, will play.  They will be on stage from 8 to 10 p.m. 

The band Eclectic Approach will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live in late September so everyone can see them before they get their national exposure.  I hope they go far!

There is no cover charge and all ages are welcome.

Thank you,
Gary MacDonald

Monday, September 03, 2012

Farragut State Park Continues To Improve

I like to chat with Randall Butt, the manager of Farragut every once in a while. Today I asked him what the construction near the Brig Museum was all about, plus the ditching. He went on to describe the water system as it exists and how it will be after the work is done.


I learned that there are eleven wells in the park of which only five are in use.Bayview Water & Sewer use two, the park uses two with one in reserve. The other six wells have no pumps and some are in use by the Idaho Department of Water Resources evaluating the aquifer.  Two of them were drilled by the Scouts for their Jamboree many years ago.
  

Currently, the ditching and cleared area along Hwy 54 near the brig museum is for a new well and pump house being installed for backup during peak periods of use and as the winter service well.


Another subject that seems to get homogenized when reported on or spoke to is the tree thinning program. First, there is no plan nor has there ever been a plan to clear cut the trees in the park with the few exceptions such as the one at the viewpoint. The fear the park has is that there hasn't been a wildfire since the big one in 1910 in the park, nor do they want one with the crowded weed like seedlings and trees growing many feet high and only inches around.The park is attempting to take it back to where nature left off, keeping in mind that when the naval base was built, the terrain was bulldozed flat, gravel was brought in by the truck loads for parade grounds and what was there in timber, was milled and used in building the structures.A thinning process is ongoing similar to the fire safe program you see from the park west on both sides of Hwy 54.


Sure the density of tree canopies will temporarily be thinner, but the healthier trees will spread more root system which will also produce more above ground growth . This is an on going process weighing many different uses, as well as tree growth. Those that hate to see any trees cut at all have formed extreme positions They must understand that Farragut State Park is a multi-use facility for the enjoyment and use of a wide range of interests. It is not, nor was it ever intended to be a wilderness Area usable for only hiking.