Letters to the Editor
Mattson should fight hard for the environment
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» Send letters to...Sometimes I just can’t take it anymore.
If it weren’t for such hypocrisy and blatant conflict of interest I probably wouldn’t say anything. But over time, I have reached my limit.
In a brochure entitled “Upper Peninsula Conservation Districts — Managing our Natural Resources,” it states that the Conservation Districts were created to serve as stewards of water and soil resources.
Their vision is to help all citizens of Michigan have livable communities in harmony with the environment. Four of the major objectives of the Conservation Districts are Education, Watershed projects, Soil Erosion/Sediment Control and Groundwater Protection.
Here is where the conflict of interest comes in. Rory Mattson is the executive director of the Delta County Conservation District. He is the steward of our water and soil resources. He has been hired to be a leader and champion of our environment, yet it seems that Mr. Mattson has never met an environmental protection law he likes.
Personally, I have never read a letter or heard a position from Rory that seeks to protect the environment. To the contrary, I routinely read letters from him, or articles about him, in the Daily Press (3/24/08) berating our environmental laws or scaring the public regarding state and federal regulations designed to protect public or private lands.
It seems that Rory’s message is the DEQ and the DNR are out to get you. They are completely out of control. You better revolt before they take all of your land rights away from you.
Call me “old fashioned,” but I don’t believe the person hired to protect our soil and water should be constantly speaking out on how to weaken our environmental laws or how to overthrow the DEQ or DNR.
Conversely, it seems to me that the executive director of the Conservation District should be setting an example on how fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides and poisons can leach through the soil into the groundwater we are drinking. He should educate us on how these and other contaminants can run off the land into the lakes and streams and how that affects the fish we eat and the water we swim and recreate in.
I would think that if Mr. Mattson were really committed to water and soil conservation, he would welcome any “monitoring of wells” (3/24/08) or regulations regarding the health, robustness or longevity of our aquifers and groundwater. The hypocrisy is that the executive director of our Conservation District seems more like a lobbyist for special interests than the steward of our water and soil resources.
Perhaps Mr. Mattson would be happier in a different job that is more in alignment with his beliefs. But, then again, maybe I’m “old fashioned.”
Sue Hurley, Escanaba
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