Letters to the editor 7/23

Prairie dogs ruin land, have no valueIn response to Susan Hubby’s letter about prairie dogs (July 16 CNJ), I wonder if she has been on ranches being ruined by these prairie dogs.

I suggest she drive down CR17 on the south side of Ned Houk Park and see the damage to the Good Sams park and the other spaces in the past two years.

We mowed our space two to three times a year, but in 2006 we have not mowed once, and may never need to again because it has been ruined by the prairie dogs.

No cattle or other livestock have been on this land for 50 years.

The prairie dogs can ruin 10 percent to 15 percent of a circle of crop in a short time. When they hit an alfalfa field, it’s ruined because it’s not plowed each year. And when you hit a dog mound with an expensive swather, it’s to the shop for repairs.

The world is full of animals and plants that have no value — fire ants, mosquitoes, flies, bind weeds and Johnson grass, for example. That list also includes prairie dogs.

Roy Richardson

Texico

Prairie dogs lies quickly debunked through experience

To those who have recently written letters containing misinformation about the prairie dog, I invite you to visit a full-blown active prairie dog town.

You will not see any vegetation because the prairie dog will have destroyed it all.

They eat until they destroy all vegetation then move on to new territory.

All that is left behind is land that is ripe for wind and water erosion.

I also invite them to capture a couple dozen of the “li’l darlins” and move them into their back yards. If they have a nice back yard that they take care of, soon the love affair will be over and they will be figuring out a way to eradicate them too.

Mary Tate

Clovis

Vote abstentions in Chamber represent ‘segment’ poorly

The Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce voted 8-5 against a proposed minimum wage increase with four abstentions. (“Chamber denounces wage hike,” July 14 CNJ)

I have a problem with four board members not taking a stand on such an important issue as they represent a “segment” of people and business.

A decided vote by these four could have reversed the decision or added emphasis to the Chamber’s stand.

Eddie Pullman

Clovis

Clovis officials should encourage town cleanup

We would like to add our comments to the letter to the editor written by Michelle Knoettgen. (“Town, base cleanup should be year round,” July 16 CNJ)

We agree with the letter. We do not understand why Clovis officials do not enforce ordinances concerning weed/trash control and boarded-up houses and businesses.

We have lived in Clovis for well over 20 years and we agree with Knoettgen — our first impression of Clovis was very negative. Little has changed since we arrived here.

We should take pride in our city and encourage the residents of Clovis to do likewise.

If people are really unable to complete this cleanup themselves, the city could charge them a minimum fee or have volunteers do the work.

We should do this for ourselves, not just for Cannon Air Force Base and the wives coming from Florida, but for the people who live here every day.

David and Phyllis Neave

Frank and Ozell Tawney

Clovis