Letters to the editor

Dear Editor,

Thank you for returning the Law and Order section to the pages of El Defensor Chieftain. It’s an important part of local news, and I hope it can remain.

An item in the June 19 edition of that section caught my attention: “Jaywalking leads to arrest for controlled substance.” Jaywalking, really? I grew up in New York City, where jaywalking is a human right. In cities large and small, those of us who travel on foot (or by bicycle, for that matter) are at a huge disadvantage relative to motorized vehicles. The dearth of properly marked crosswalks in the City of Socorro should shame city officials. With drivers blowing through stop signs, speeding, failing to use their headlights, and not stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks, it seems pointless to go after a pedestrian who’s just trying to cross the street.

Janet Goldstein

Socorro

Dear Editor

What a pleasant surprise to read your article on the Cooper’s Hawks in last weeks Chieftain. Nice to see people saving wildlife rather than killing it.

Your side piece how to handle young birds was vey informative also. Although I do not know Jennifer Kent, Matt Mitchell has been a Socorro treasure and personal friend for many years and answers calls for help for anything from owls to Sandhill cranes. His programs in local schools and Bosque Del Apache Crane Festivals are always sell outs. Ms. Kent’s tips about calling in professional rehabbers both for legal reasons and the birds benefit was helpful knowledge. In this troubled world we all need to to learn to better coexist with nature and her nonhuman residents.

Erv Nichols

Socorro

Editor’s note: Jennifer Keller was misidentified as Jennifer Kent in the Cooper’s Hawk story in the last edition of the Chieftain. We regret the error.