Dear Editor:
I did not expect to see such a false and deliberately slanted article in this newsletter as the one on barbed wire. Shame on the author for not catching the incongruous pictures and background in the story titled ‘Groups Work Together’. The project volunteers were not removing barbed wire from a working fence, they were obviously removing the mess left over from an unmaintained fence that had not been operational for a long time.
Second, the picture of the five-strand fence with two dead antelope was not evidence of barbed wire being evil. Instead, it was a testimony of the stupidity of the idiots who built that fence incorrectly. Anyone who builds livestock fencing knows that the wires, poles, or boards should be spaced closer together near the bottom, with openings being farther apart near the top. The antelope are usually able to jump through the fence near the top if the wire is spaced correctly.
Third, smooth wire will not contain cattle in a pasture. It is probably the Forest Service’s intention to remove or not restock that livestock allotment, which is pro-environmentalist, and in opposition to ranchers and U.S.F.S. Regional direction. Why was the U.S.F.S. Rangeland Specialist not interviewed for this article?
Respectfully,
Candy Luhrsen, Douglas, WY
