Open letter to Frontier Communications Corporation

Maggie Wilderotter
Frontier Communications Corporation
3 High Ridge Park
Stamford, CT 06905-1390

Dear Ms. Wilderotter:
On May 14, 2013, FierceTelecom published an article by Sean Buckley where it is reported that you told investors on Tuesday that since most of its customers are in rural areas where there’s less population density, a 6 Mbps DSL connection is sufficient. It was also stated by you that “We go to the activity set to get a sense of what customers are actually doing and the majority of our customers fit into that 6 Mbps or less category.”
It is imperative that you understand how these policy statements are undermining the ability of rural areas like Pocahontas County to attract and retain business, increase our population and tax base, and provide for the adequate education of our children and adult populations. Since our advertised offerings from Frontier are up to a maximum of 6Mbps (and our actual rates are much, much lower), it is illogical to state that we only use up to 6Mbps. You cannot use what you do not have.
It is also the height of biased thinking to state, “In a lot of the big urban markets there a lot more power users, but a lot of our rural customers are not power users…” Again, how do we use what we do not have? Do you believe that we do not need schools, banks, libraries, hospitals and businesses on the same level as urban markets? Do we also not deserve the same levels of service that these areas enjoy? We are certain that you cannot provide metrics of our ”power” use as we have no infrastructure in place that will allow such use. It is apparent that the only consideration Frontier gives to its core business is monetary gain, as evidenced in the following statement - “Every new customer we put on is incremental revenue for us so it’s bringing on more revenue based on fixed asset we already have in place,” Wilderotter said.
We, as the businesses of Pocahontas County, implore you to reconsider your build-out strategies. We implore you to understand the effects your decisions have on the well-being of entire communities. And we need you to understand that discriminatory actions by your company based on your perception of rural vs. urban needs is illogical, unproductive, hurtful, and will be remembered at the first hint of competition for your services. Pocahontas County is fortunate to have a competitive service coming into the area and it will be interesting to see if Frontier’s business model will continue to be successful for them when their rural customers abandon Frontier for a faster and more reliable Internet service. 
Respectfully,
Pocahontas County
Chamber of Commerce
Michael Holstine, President

Reference article: http:// www.fiercetelecom.com/story/frontiers-wilderotter-80-our-customers-use-6...

Dear Editor:
The Pocahontas County Veterans Honor Corps honored my father, Donald Shelkey, at his funeral in Arbovale on May 13, 2013.  Upon returning to my Maryland home, The Pocahontas Times article “Honor Corps needs vets to report for duty” was there to greet me. 
I’d just like to echo that we (the family) were saying that the Honor Corps added special warmth and meaning as a salute to our loved one. They came in numbers, performed with dignity, and left lasting memories for all of us, especially the younger family members who proudly took home a shell casing keepsake from the 21-gun salute. 
Thank you, Pocahontas County Veterans Honor Corps.
Jane (Rose) Groat
formerly from Durbin

Dear Editor:
Pocahontas County is paradise, and I am proud to call it home.
Across the United States communities just like ours are celebrating National Travel and Tourism week. We have plenty of reasons to celebrate.
Places that are dear to me like Beartown and Hills Creek Falls and the swimming hole at Burnside. I’d like to mark the occasion by sharing with readers of The Pocahontas Times what tourism – people traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment – means to me, our county and business.  
The Birthplace of Rivers National Monument has led to a discussion about the value of inviting guests into our county – or as we have called it in the past “tourism.”
 I would like to get away from this term, “tourism.” I feel that people who visit our county are guests, just like an old friend coming to my house. 
As the owner of the Pretty Penny Café in Hillsboro and a member of the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau board, I realize many people in Pocahontas County depend on these visitors and guests.   I am dedicated to improving this critical industry in a way that fits with our rural values and compliments growth in other traditional industries.  Having quality food and entertainment establishments in Pocahontas County helps create a high quality of life, but it’s something many in our community take for granted.  The reality is, whether businesses like restaurants or coffee shops are located in Hillsboro, Marlinton or the Snowshoe area, they each depend on outside visitors to stay open.  
This year alone, county tourism revenue supported essential community institutions, including Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, Pocahontas County Free Libraries, volunteer fire departments and Pocahontas County 911. 
Organizations such as the Fairs and Festivals Commiss-ion,  Pocahontas County Farmers Market and Preserving Pocahontas also benefited.    Without the hotel-motel tax the Convention and Visitors Bureau could not help fund things like Allegheny Echoes, Pioneer Days, The Wild Edible Festival and many events.  
I know this is a very, very special and unique place.
The National Monument designation can help us preserve the wild character of the Monongahela National Forest, and it can help define our outdoor heritage. 
 This Monument will allow us an advantage as we think about what we want this area to be like in 50 years. We need a plan, a vision. Now is our time to set the path toward the future and look to what we want to leave to our kids.
When I see young people moving away, it’s clear we need to provide a better future.  To me, the National Monument is not going to save our economy, but it represents an important step in keeping existing businesses alive.
After leaving, I realized there really is no place like home. West Virginia is God’s country, and I want to raise my children here. 
I have visited National Monuments in the west and was interested to see what having one here would look like, since we don’t currently have a monument in West Virginia.
 The economic reality of rural Appalachia is that we have to make our living ourselves. We cannot wait for someone to build it for us. We must come together for our grandchildren.
Blair Campbell
Hillsboro



Dear Editor;


The Birthplace of Rivers National Monument initiative is hosting another public proposal workshop to help identify concerns and priorities as we determine how to best to proceed with a National Monument proposal. I encourage the public to attend on Monday, May 20 at 6 p.m. at the Pocahontas County Opera House. Locally generated input is very important to the process.  

At the last workshop on April 22, there was robust dialogue, and a wide variety of opinions were shared regarding public lands and the future of this area which all of us care deeply about.  What was very helpful in the discussion was the identification of priority conservation values and many legitimate concerns, which surfaced throughout the evening.  This process is unique in its fluidity, and monument designation’s flexibility gives us good reason to believe these concerns can be addressed, allowing this area to remain just as special as it currently is for future generations. 
 
Monuments look different across the board, because they are chosen according to the place-specific needs of the area under consideration.  It is important to look to existing National Monuments to evaluate what works and what doesn’t work, what we want or don’t want to affect Birthplace of Rivers.  I understand why there is skepticism in how the area would be managed, but after reviewing many existing National Monuments, I also believe there are plenty of examples indicating how Birthplace of Rivers can bring positive results to local communities and West Virginia as a whole.  In discussing the idea of National Monument designation, we do so to define a concept which can be tweaked and adapted according to this area’s place-specific needs.  The broad coalition of monument partners believes in the protections offered by this special status, but we are also committed to a process involving diverse stakeholders, community leaders, agency officials and local citizens to determine how to define a designation that promotes and preserves recreational access, sporting traditions and existing management activities. 
 
I feel confident in our ability to work together to craft a refined proposal that works for all involved in this discussion.  For those willing to share their concerns, I hope they’ll continue to do so, as identifying these important issues determines our collective approach moving forward.  As Chief Thomas Tidwell, of the U.S. Forest Service said in a letter to the Pocahontas County Commission, “an open, transparent public process in partnership with local residents, governments and any other interested parties would be a critical step in consideration of a national monument proposal.”  
Local input is important to federal decision makers, and it is important to the coalition of monument advocates, as well. 



Sincerely,    
 Mike Costello

Executive Director
West Virginia Wilderness Coalition



Dear Editor:
Many Frontier DSL customers are probably very annoyed by Frontier’s stand on improving broadband and reliability in Pocahontas County, as related to us in Geoff Hamill’s articles in the past two weeks. Then, just last week, I received an announcement from Frontier’s Customer Service Department about their new spokesperson: a buffalo! It contained their new trademarked slogan: “You Can’t Get BS From a Buffalo”. I thought it was a joke, but it is real.
Frontier states that Marlinton and Hillsboro receive up to 6 Mbps service, while 95 percent of the county gets up to 1 Mbps. The reality is that download speeds are regularly much below that number. When it rains, DSL often drops out completely. While that speed and lack of reliability is an annoyance for using email or social networking, it is a major impediment for bigger uses. Many people are trying to work remotely. If they can do this, it means they can still live in Pocahontas County while having a job elsewhere. More income will stay in the county. In some cases, our kids wouldn’t have to move away to find work.
Teachers in our schools are making more assignments requiring internet access. They are interactive lessons, not just reading. But, there isn’t enough bandwidth and computers or time in the day at the schools to complete the assignments. Some students can do the work at home, others must go to the public library, where they suffer the same lack of capacity.
We’ve lived in Arbovale for nine years, and the download speed has crept up slightly, but not to where it should be. When we’ve complained, Frontier tells us, “Oh, you live too far from the station in Arbovale. We shouldn’t have given you service.” It hasn’t stopped them from accepting our monthly checks, though. Frontier’s viewpoint has been they won’t get more revenue from improvements they make, so they invest their money where they might.
Rita Griffith told Geoff that Frontier has spent tens of millions in West Virginia, but she didn’t say how much of that was invested in Pocahontas County. Frontier could install small automated equipment akin to repeaters further out near North Fork, Old Green Bank Road, Wesley Chapel, and Dunmore, but there is nothing to be gained by Frontier by doing that.
One Mbps isn’t good enough in 2013, and the shortfall will only get worse.
Our schools and businesses have repeatedly complained. Frontier’s responses have been along the line of, well, we just don’t have enough customers here, and Frontier is spending money where there are more customers. Not their exact words, but that’s what they’ve meant.
Competition is a good thing. It thins the herd of the weak.
SKSRT announced that it has received grant money, and is going to migrate down WV 28 into Pocahontas County, north into Durbin and south down as far as Dunmore. From there, it is just a short run of a few miles down to the High School. SKSRT is acting like a young bull, eager to grow. Frontier has acted like a sedate cow, content to graze on our monthly payments.
With the threat of competition, a resentful Frontier has suddenly announced plans to improve service, but it is painfully slow in coming. They seem to have this scheduling calendar with 13 months, which includes the 12 months we know, plus a new one called “next.” Improvements are always coming next month, or next year.
Soon, we’ll have a choice in the northern part of the county. It might even help other parts of the county.
We should all consider the options - switching providers won’t be the answer for everyone. But, the fact that there is competition will cause Frontier to improve service, or risk losing revenue. That’s a big change.

Bob Anderson
Arbovale

Dear Editor:
Mr. Cooper asks “Why have all the other National Forests provided off-highway vehicle recreation and our Mon Forest refuses to do so?”
Mr. Cooper has had an answer to this question, but he doesn’t want to hear it. He continues to make misleading statements to support his campaign for allowing off highway vehicles on the Monongahela National Forest.
While ATVs are allowed on other national forests, there is no national forest where they have open access to all forest roads. They are restricted to designated areas, and those designated areas have extra law enforcement. Over many years of experience, public land managers have learned that without extra law enforcement, they will have serious problems.
A major reason to have designated areas for ATVs is to separate them from other people. Many people go to the forest to enjoy the peace and quiet. While some ATVs are as quiet as cars, many are not, as I can report from those who go up the road near my house. Also, people drive their cars into the forest to get someplace and then they park, whereas most ATV riders come to ride, and they like to ride in groups, so the noise can be significant and continuous. When relatives come to visit the farm next to mine on three day weekends, they ride all day from early in the morning until past my bedtime (which admittedly isn’t hard).
The national forests are our forests for all of us to enjoy. When actions affect the public at large, the Forest Service goes through a formal process of receiving comments, and anyone can make comments. Forest Plans (like the Mon 2006 plan) include a Motor Vehicle Use Map to designate which roads are open to motor vehicle use and which classes of vehicles are allowed.
Motor Vehicle Use Maps are based on public input and science. Clyde Thompson’s Special Order is the standard method for enforcing the Motor Vehicle Use Map, and other national forests have Special Orders enforcing their Motor Vehicle Use Maps. Removing the Special Order would not allow new uses. An environmental analysis with public input would be required to modify the Motor Vehicle Use Map for the Mon.
When Clyde Thompson mentions the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Coalition, he isn’t giving special power to those groups; he is just referring to organizations that represent the people who come to the forest regularly to enjoy quiet activities and would have input into a change in the Motor Vehicle Use Map. Mr. Cooper presents himself as representing an organization (it would be interesting to know how many members the West Virginia Open Trails Association has). Thompson has told Cooper that if his organization can get together with other organizations and come up with a plan, he will consider it.
An alternative would be to use private lands, like the Hatfield-McCoy Trails. There are extensive private lands belonging to large timber and coal companies in the area near the Mon. Of course the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to maintain trails and provide law enforcement. Most of its money comes from us, the taxpayers, in the form of grants from federal transportation funds. The rest comes from fees the riders pay. Cooper has said that it would cost the Forest Service nothing; that with the stroke of a pen, Thompson could allow ATV riders on Mon Forest roads.
But it is clearly a lot more complicated and expensive than that.

Beth Little
Hillsboro

Dear Editor:
I am writing to express my appreciation for the Easter Egg Hunt that was held at the Pocahontas County Memorial Hospital on March 30, 2013.
My husband and I are part-time residents at Seebert and our children and grandchildren often spend holidays with us there. My daughter-in-law discovered the event through the internet and so we loaded up our five grandchildren and headed for the Easter Egg Hunt.
They had a wonderful time and won some exceptional prizes. It was a beautiful day and their chocolate covered mouths were adorable as the younger ones fell asleep in their car seats on the way back to our camp. The older ones were so excited about their prizes and what a great time they had.
This event turned into something really special for our family and the grandchildren are already talking about next year. I certainly hope this will become one of our family traditions as we become part of the fellowship of Pocahontas County.

Sincerely,
Jane McNeill Laraba
Seebert

Dear Editor:
The recent article on Abe’s Run tree planting caught my eye because, as a forester who spent 35 years in the profession, I am interested in such things.
As I read through the article memories of time spent in the area made me smile. Growing up in Bartow in the 50s, I often fished, hunted and trapped in the upper East Fork Watershed. My dad owned a farm with a small cabin at Pigs Ear, about three miles up the East Fork from Abe’s Run. This provided a great base for exploration, which my best friend and I did as often as we could escape chores at home.
One of my most distinct memories of Abe’s Run occurred in the late ‘50s. My friend and I had place beaver traps about a mile down the river from Abe’s Run. Heavy snowfall made the access road impassible. We set out from Rt. 28 and hiked (waded) through the snow to the river. As we were crossing the low-water bridge, my friend slipped and fell. Since it was very cold, his outer clothes quickly froze. We knew from past experience that frozen clothes block some heat loss if you keep moving. We retrieved our traps and hiked back to the top of the mountain, a round trip of six or seven miles. We suffered no ill affects from our adventure, but did have to cancel a date because I was completely exhausted.
Some seven or eight years ago the same friend, who also lives out of state, and I were visiting at the same time. We took a morning and drove down to the Abe’s Run access road and fished the East Fork down to the falls, catching and releasing several trout, including some native brook. To my eye, the area was essentially unchanged, except the trees were 40 some years older. The forest service has obviously been a good steward of the land and, given the resources, will no doubt continue to be good stewards. I only hope that the push for National Monument status for the upper East Fork and other areas doesn’t have unintended consequences for those who like to hunt and fish the area. Assurances aside, agreements made today can be broken tomorrow and more protection will inevitably lead to more restrictions on the use of the resource.

Charles (Ab) Matheny
Paducah, Kentucky

Dear Editor: 
I attended the Birthplace of Rivers National Monument proposal workshop last week and was very encouraged by the open dialogue. The meeting was well-attended and allowed people of many backgrounds and with diverse opinions to share their hopes and concerns regarding the proposed national monument designa- tion.
After reading the Forest Service’s letter to the county commission, I am much more confident that the monument designation will be great for our county and state. I believe we can create good jobs for Pocahontas County and share our special beauty with more appreciative visitors.
I was particularly pleased by the serious level of discussion in our small group.  It was very encouraging to hear the degree to which our values overlap regardless of our opinion on the monument. Without question, we all love our county, our state and our forest. We don’t want to lose what makes Pocahontas County such a special place. Nor do we want to lose access to traditional recreational activities such as hunting and fishing. I firmly believe that monument designation will help keep the area wild and wonderful by establishing stronger and more permanent protections. I am convinced that the Forest Service will work with all of us to protect our beautiful mountains and streams. I hope that those who oppose the Birthplace of Rivers designation continue to participate in the discussion. By working together, we can assure that everyone’s needs are addressed.  
The area surrounding our Cranberry Wilderness and Back Country is very special. We can protect and honor it by generating more sustainable economic activity without drastically changing it.
If we are successful our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will continue to enjoy the forest we all love.

Sincerely,
Roger Forman
Buckeye

Dear Editor:
The West Virginia Open Trails Association has been working with the management of the Monongahela National Forest to open existing forest service roads to all motor vehicles including off highway vehicles, such as ATVs and UTVs and snowmobiles.
Our last meeting on April 15 with the Monongahela Forest Service in Elkins included a local ATV dealer, several senior citizens, disabled veterans, a Randolph County Commissioner, and two aides from Senator Manchin’s office.
Our proposal was to open all existing forest service roads for off-highway vehicle recreation that are presently open for motor vehicle access. This porposal was submitted with a support letter from Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito and resolutions from five County Commissions supporting ATV access to the Mon Forest. Their resolutions stated it will allow many people to see parts of the Mountain State that are currently not accessible to them, including senior citizens and the disabled.
The five county commissioners were from Randolph, Webster, Tucker, Pendleton and Pocahontas counties. They represent more than 62,000 citizens that live in and around our Mon Forest. Several of our senior citizens and disabled who attended the meeting pointed out that the forest service roads should be under the same laws that govern secondary WV state and county roads, which allow ATVs and UTVs to travel them.
Our proposal was rejected because Forest Service officials expressed concern that organizations like the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Coalition would object. The National Forest Service is mandated by law to develop a Land Management Plan with public input. Our last management plan was submitted in 2006. It must provide areas accessible to motor vehicles and also a motor vehicle usage map. This map designates forest service roads open to motor vehicles.
There is nowhere in the Land Management Plan or the motor vehicle usage map that restircts ATVs or UTVs from using existing forest roads. The order that does prohibit off-highway vehicle access came from Mr. Clyde Thompson, our Monongahela Forest Supervisor, in a document named Vehicle Use Restrictions Order 21-91 issued December 17, 2008. In my opinion this order seems to have come from his own ideology because it is not mandated by the Land Management Plan.
I would like to thank Congresswoman Capito and the five County Commissions for their support on this worthwhile proposal. A special thanks to Mike Taylor, Randolph County Commissioner for his interest and leadership. He realized that this is very important to our senior citizens and disabled. We are still looking to Senator Manchin to bring some reason to this unreasonable situation.
Why have all the other National Forests provided off-highway vehicle recreation and our Mon Forest refuses to do so?

Doug Cooper
Valley Head

Dear Editor:
As a longtime subscriber of The Pocahontas Times, I look forward to its arrival each week. Most weeks it arrives on Saturday, but other weeks it arrives on Monday or Tuesday. I suspect that those weeks the Pony Express is forced to rely on substitute riders.
Through the years I have enjoyed many, many great articles that reminded me of the ten years during my youth that I was privileged to live in Marlinton.
The article on the Elementary School brought back a lot of fond memories. I really enjoyed the nine years that I spent in Elementary School. All of the teachers were truly excellent and cared deeply about all of their students. They were some of the best teachers that I ever had, and I have had a lot of teachers.
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Bee Gladwell, who was my sixth grade teacher. Although I loved Miss McLaughlin, Mrs. Shisler, Miss Jane Kincaid, Mrs. Ina Montgomery and Mrs. Bonnie Brooks, I love Aunt Bee above all.
Aunt Bee once took the stick to me to remind me to do sentences for all twenty of my spelling words. (I usually only did fifteen.) Aunt Bee warned me two or three times, but I thought she was bluffing. I can assure you that, after the reminder, I always did all twenty sentences.
I stayed in touch with Aunt Bee through the years, and she never did remember paddling me. She always said that she would never have done that because “you were such a dear, sweet little boy.”
She told me that I still had the same twinkle in my eyes that I had when I was in her sixth grade class.
I got to kiss Aunt Bee on her 85th birthday, and I would give anything if she could paddle me today. I loved her when I was in the sixth grade, and I still love her today. I will always miss her.
I also enjoyed the recent article on the “watering holes.” I had the opportunity to visit most of the establishments mentioned in the article during my youth. Usually the owner of the establishment, or some of the patrons, would call my father and ask him to come and remove my brother, Weird. My father would take me along to help remove Weird from the establishment and to prevent him from escaping the car on the way home. During difficult removals, the owner and all of the patrons were always happy to lend assistance.
After a thirty year military career, Weird, has been a burden on the taxpayers of Florida since his retirement.
I will be attending my fifty year class reunion in July, and since I have been gone a long time, and none of my former classmates would have knowledge of such places, could you please publish a list of places between Elk and Droop where a man could get some cold, gold liquid refreshment on a hot summer night in July?
Thank you so much.
Fred Holland
Woodstock, Virginia

Dear Editor:
We have to do something about all these people running around with bombs and bomb making materials. Maybe we should demand that Congress pass laws banning bombs, bomb making materials, and transporting and manufacturing of bombs. I mean, these things kill people for crying out loud! Now, take the statement above and replace the word “bomb” with the word gun. Sound familiar now? My hope is that one person may now, for the first time, be able to see the foolishness of the gun control argument after reading this letter.
Why is it that President Obama isn’t tarying to place stricter laws on bomb making materials? Seriously Editor, I want to know! If he is really concerned about our safety, like he says he is, why isn’t he using the same logic he uses when he talks about gun control. Why isn’t he talking about the dangers of ball bearings, pressure canners and cell phones? He says he wants to protect us, so why isn’t he spoon- feeding us his normal “hope speeches” about how we should limit the things that can harm us? With his logic on gun control, why isn’t the president calling for a requirement for background checks for the purchasing of fertilizer?  He was visibly angry in his speech when he was talking about the gun background checks law not passing. You see, sadly as it is to say, he doesn’t really care about our safety. He doesn’t want to take our guns because they can kill people; he wants our guns because the government wants more control over us citizens. Just imagine if the government actually had good intentions and was actually trying to fix our real problem. Our societal problem. The cancer of immorality that plagues this world we now live in.
But wait! Don’t get it twisted, Editor!
I am not trying to be insensitive. My heart bleeds for the people in Boston. But let me submit to you that we can build a big wall at the Mexican border and place 50 Cals on top, 200 yards apart and that may help. We can tighten up our foreign student programs and stop letting people in to the USA from overseas and that may help.  But the internet makes the world smaller. What about the “Home Grown Terrorist?” What do we do about them?
When young godless, deviant, parentless, youths take to the internet and become inspired by radical groups, how do we stop that? As a society, we continue to become less and less moral people – removing God from our lives and replacing him with material things like money. The good people in this county can see it happening in our county, although we may be a generation or two behind most of America, it’s happening nevertheless. Perhaps a change could start right here, in good ol’ Pocahontas County. Perhaps, we can join together and fix America. It starts with the individual, with you and me and our neighbors. Taking care of one another. Being noble and moral again. Praying every night with our families before we go to bed, sitting around the table and having dinner as a family without TV, Facebook or cell phones. Teaching our children the Constitution in our schools, not giving out trophies for participation but for actual achievements and teaching kids and adults that if you fail at something, it’s okay, but hard work is what leads to success– not demanding that success be handed to you. Perhaps we, Pocahontas Countians can lead the charge to restore honor, love, respect, morality and courage to our country.
Boy, what a dream.
Respectfully,
Devin McCoy
Hillsboro

Dear Editor:
As a Read Aloud volunteer I was recently featured in your “What are you reading column.”
I wanted to let everyone know that without the great selection of books at Hillsboro Public Library – I would be lost.
Pocahontas County is most fortunate to have a library system that supports the Read Aloud program in our schools.
Neal Krakover
Hillsboro

Dear Editor:
I want to thank all the wonderful residents of Denmar Road who worked together the last couple of weeks to clean up our area in concert with the state program of Make it Shine.
Grandmothers, children, folks who work full-time jobs, teens, retirees and the disabled took time to pick up the trash of far too many Bud-Light cans, water bottles, cigarette butts, Mountain Dew cans, old tires and plastic, plastic and more plastic. We know there is more to do and all promise to continue beyond the time set out for the program.
They took time from their own busy lives to pick up after people who seem not to have the sense to take their own trash to work or home with them for proper disposal.
We know that other residents on other roads in the county did similar service and deserve to be mentioned here, as well.
As for the selfish louts who continue to throw their personal debris out their car or truck window, they reflect badly not only on themselves, but their family, their heritage, their church and their country.
Sincerely,
Cyla Allison
Hillsboro

Dear Editor:
The upcoming workshop at 6 p.m. on April 22 at the McClintic Library in Marlinton to discuss a collaborative Birthplace of Rivers National Monument proposal is a great opportunity for local community members to help decide what a special designation for part of the southern Monongahela National Forest might look like.  It is also an opportunity for sportsmen to weigh in and ensure continued access to our time-honored outdoor traditions that will be cornerstone values of a citizen-backed proposal.
The area in question contains some of the very best trout waters in all of West Virginia, but their future status is far from certain.  Without statutory protections, our public lands are always subject to future changes.  Additionally, several bills in Congress aim to bring about certain changes in management such as the expedited the sale of public lands, keeping citizen groups out of the comment process for federal projects, and stripping environmental review from industrial development on public lands.  As an organization, West Virginia Trout Unlimited (WVTU) strongly feels National Monument designation can help keep this area the way it is, preserving the sporting resource for future generations.  Thanks to our involvement in the collaborative process, continued access for angling and important management activities will preserved as part of the designation.  A true asset of this designation is its flexibility, meaning monuments are managed differently according to the needs of the specific area under the designation.  As citizen groups and individuals, we will be moving a proposal that best represents the Birthplace of Rivers area, and the makeup of that proposal will be determined by participation in the collaborative process.  There are few places which even warrant the consideration being given to the lands and waters we’re discussing, and given the constant changes in attitudes toward public lands and public land management, places like the Birthplace of Rivers are too important not to set aside for future generations.    
When WVTU entertained the idea of National Monument designation, we didn’t support just any designation for the area.  Instead, we saw an opportunity to collaborate, making sure the needs of our organization were met and the needs of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources were addressed in the proposal.  While we identified ways of preserving important trout habitat, we wanted to make sure the DNR would continue to have access for critical stream restoration activities and we recommended DNR have continued jurisdiction over stocking activities in fisheries such as the Williams and Cranberry Rivers.  
From several existing monument examples and recent feedback from the Chief of the Forest Service, we know these conditions can be met under monument designation. 
Recent examples of monument designation have only reinforced the flexibility of the designation and the role sportsmen can play in determining how a National Monument can be a positive for everyone involved.  When the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument was designated in New Mexico last month, it was a huge victory for a broad coalition of supporters, including several hunting groups and Trout Unlimited.  In Colorado, Trout Unlimited, other sporting organizations and community leaders are rallying behind recently introduced legislation to create Brown’s Canyon National Monument, an important fishery for trophy brown trout.  By working together on the Birthplace of Rivers National Monument initiative, there’s no reason we can’t achieve the same success here in West Virginia, creating a lasting legacy for future outdoorsmen who can be proud of the special honor the monument would establish for our outdoor heritage.    
Philip Smith
Chairman,
West Virginia
Trout Unlimited

Dear Editor:
Last week (April 7) for the first time I can remember, there was not a single Letter-to-the-Editor in The Pocahontas Times.
What a disappointment.
Those epistles of praise and/or protest are the papers’ charm and challenge – living laboratories of anthropology: how a community lives and breathes, sweats and swears.
A free press is the essence of a democracy. We are fortunate to have a prime example here in rural West Virginia thanks to The Pocahontas Times.
Best regards,
Dick Evans

Dear Editor:
Recent budget cuts handed down from our president, governor, federal legislators and our state legislators have forced the Pocahontas County Senior Centers to cut In-Home Care which provides services to the elderly so they can remain in their homes instead of going to nursing homes. Cuts have also been made to the Nutrition Program.
The Pocahontas County Centers will now deliver five meals per week to the Meals-On-Wheels recipients instead of seven meals.
I would like to call on all our “Representatives” from the president to the state delegates to eat only five of their main meals a week instead of seven, and to take a bath only once a week like those who need assistance may now have to do.
They need to think about this when they are voting themselves the next pay raise.
Lois J. Mamak
Buckeye

Dear Editor:
The Birthplace of Rivers National Monument initiative will host a public workshop on April 22 at 6 p.m. at the McClintic Library in Marlinton. This is the first in a series of discussions to gather input for a final National Monument proposal.
The workshops are intended to encourage collaboration in the process of drafting a citizen proposal to create West Virginia’s only National Monument, a status which would promote and preserve a portion of the southern Monongahela National Forest.
National Monuments are designations of public lands which possess unique scenic, ecological, historic or cultural significance. Rare features of the potential Birthplace of Rivers National Monument, located in the vicinity of the Cranberry Wilderness, include Falls of Hills Creek, Cranberry Glades, the Highland Scenic Highway, Honeycomb Rocks and the site of the former Mill Point Federal Prison. As the proposed name suggests, the area is home to a uniquely-high concentration of watersheds, with headwaters or tributaries of the Cranberry, Cherry, Elk, Gauley, Williams and Greenbrier Rivers located within potential boundaries.
The collaborative pro-cess is important in that it allows all sides to learn and understand the priorities of other participants. Unlike wilderness designation, which is defined by the Wilderness Act, National Monument designations are unique, according to the needs of the area under consideration.
Many concerns about potential monument designation have focused on National Monuments within the National Park System, managed under a different set of guidelines than Forest Service-managed lands. In two letters to the Pocahontas County Commission, U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell stated that the monument could be managed by the U.S. Forest Service and activities such as hunting, fishing and vegetative treatments could still be allowed, and that Monument designation does not require entry fees or affect the amount of payments the county receives from programs such as Secure Rural Schools. Additionally, Chief Tidwell’s letters confirmed that potential monument designation would not diminish the role of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources with regard to fish and wildlife management.
Monument advocates are hopeful the combination of recent clarification by the Forest Service Chief and use of an outside facilitator, not associated with the Birthplace of Rivers initiative, in the workshops will help guide the discussion and keep the conversation at a productive level.
The April 22 workshop will be a collaborative discussion covering various issues such as boundaries, access, recreation and management, to educate and engage the public in their wants and needs for a National Monument. Input gathered at the series of workshops will be used to finalize a citizen proposal, which will then be submitted for review and further consideration by congressional and administrative officials.
Michael Costello
Executive Director
West Virginia
Wilderness Coalition

Dear Editor:
There’s been much discussion about the Birthplace of Rivers National Monument lately. The fact we’re discussing this issue is a good thing. What’s troubling, however, is the negative tone some of the letters from individuals on both sides have taken on. There’s an incredible opportunity for collaboration here, but in order to take full advantage of what’s in front of us, we need to be able to put past issues aside and make an attempt to see eye to eye. Collaboration doesn’t mean one viewpoint is right or wrong, but it means there’s room to sift through important considerations, finding common ground and developing workable solutions. Perhaps the best opportunity to elevate this collaborative discussion begins on Monday, April 22, at the McClintic Library, when a coalition of groups partnering on initiative will host a public workshop, a facilitated discussion aimed at gathering additional input to define a final proposal. This will be the first in a series of such public discussions, and will run from approximately 6 to 8 p.m.
So what exactly are these workshops, and why do they matter?

These participatory events represent an opportunity to have input in the proposal process as it evolves. We’re talking about creating a venue for collaboration, rather than a divisive space for individuals on one side or another to stand up and give their opinion for or against something. Participants should bring up questions, priorities and concerns, but should also be prepared to take an open-minded look at what others bring to the conversation. It is not so much a time for federal decision makers to consider the merits of the designation, but for us as citizen groups and individuals to make sure whatever we propose best represents the needs of the landscape, local communities and willing participants in the process. These discussions are extremely important in ensuring a potential designation brings real benefits to local communities, and would be managed in a way that makes sense for the area under consideration. With the help of an outside facilitator, we’ll have a genuine discussion about issues such as boundaries, access, recreation and management. All of these issues are important to consider when defining a proposal influenced by citizen groups, local individuals and community leaders.

This week in New Mexico, the Rio Grande del Norte area was designated as a National Monument after a diverse group of stakeholders, local leaders and the state’s congressional delegation worked together to define a proposal that preserved and promoted this 240,000 acre desert landscape, while keeping hunting, fishing and other land traditional uses fully intact. Monument designation didn’t change the boundaries or potential management proposed in the collaborative process, as some locally have feared might happen in West Virginia. Here in the Mountain State, the door remains open to further collaboration, giving us an opportunity to show the rest of the country that our unique natural features and our rich cultural heritage are national treasures, which do indeed deserve to be honored. It’s a chance for us to bring a brighter economic future to the region, not by fundamentally changing this area we all know and love, but by preserving and promoting the uniqueness of the resource we’re so blessed to have in the backyards of our local communities. I hope those with an interest in considering this unique opportunity will join us for the upcoming series of community discussions, keeping a respectful conversation moving forward.

Sincerely,
Mike Costello
Executive Director
West Virginia
Wilderness Coalition

Dear Editor:
It was very interesting to read the article and see the picture of the Durbin Baseball team in The Times.
While in my last two years of high school at Green Bank – 1949 and 1950 - I played baseball with some of these guys on the Bartow Motors team, sponsored by Randolph Bledsoe.
I was surpirsed to learn that they had played baseball all those years.
Robert E. Tacy
Circleville, Ohio

Dear Editor:
It seems that we are at a crossroads in this nation where the Constitution of the United States is being consistently ignored. To be clear, this is not a left vs. right, Democrat vs. Republican-only battle, even though the media portrays it as such. This battle is for the inalienable rights of all Americans.
Understand, the Bill of Rights is not a statement of what Rights the government gives to the People. Indeed, it is a statement that the government understands and acknowledges that there are 10 birthrights bestowed by God on all Americans, by virtue of being an American, to which the government has no ability to limit or break. This is the fundamental tenet of the Constitution.
However, some in government are attempting to circumvent these Rights, and to all those that value the wisdom of our Founding Fathers this appears by all intents and purposes as a nefarious and scheming tactic of subversion. The Federalists of the day were worried that by enumerating these Rights at all, it created an opening by which the Federal government could subvert them. Under the pen name of Brutus, most probably Robert Yates, it was said, “With equal truth it may be said, that all the powers which the bills of rights guard against the abuse of, are contained or implied in the general ones granted by this Constitution. So clear a point is this, that I cannot help suspecting that persons who attempt to persuade people that such reservations were less necessary under this Constitution than under those of the States, are willfully endeavoring to deceive, and to lead you into an absolute state of vassalage”.
The latest attack is being levied at the Right to keep and bear arms. Certainly the wording of the Second Amendment has been a source of debate for decades, but with a little research anyone can discern that the intent was for all Americans, individually, to be blessed with this right. From George Mason, called the “Father of the United States Bill of Rights”, “The government should be enjoined against maintaining a standing army, and that a “well-regulated militia”, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state.” And in these trying times, where our society is being steered toward a rural vs. urban class system, James Madison seemed all too aware of the dangers. In The Federalist Papers, No. 51, Madison wrote: “It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part... In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature, where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger.”
I fear there is a battle to come – between those that believe in the powers guaranteed by the Constitution and those that believe in the powers of government. Every elected official has taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. If you are in such a position of service and cannot abide by the tenets of our sovereign nation, resign. Your opinion is not greater than the Constitution. The inability to fiercely defend the Rights of all Americans can no longer be tolerated. To the rest of you, research the Constitution, know the intent of its writers, then vote - and we, together, can remove those who refuse to abide by this most precious statement of Rights.

Michael J. Holstine
Dunmore

Dear Editor:
I am very disappointed in the recent board of education decision to rescind its recent approval of moving the fifth grade back to Marlinton Elementary.  It has only been two weeks since the decision was made which is hardly enough time to put together a plan and then the action was withdrawn.  I saw the move as advantageous for Marlinton Middle School.  The school would only need to concentrate on sixth through eighth grades and not the difficult task of transitioning two sets of students—fourth graders from Marlinton and fifth graders from Hillsboro. 

Yes, a shakeup in personnel would have occurred which would have to follow West Virginia personnel rules.  Instead of letting this proceed, it looks as if there were some behind the scenes shenanigans or “back door” deals that were in play to save jobs.  This is the kind of “double dealing” politics that have marred Pocahontas County in the past.  Postponing the decision a year from now would mean the same old arguments would still be happening, and the same personnel decisions would have to be made.  Whether now or later, the personnel decisions would still have to be made according to West Virginia School law policies.
 
The business of education should be for the benefit of the students; this is the reason schools exist.  Adults need to act as adults and make decisions that are in the best interests of students—not the adults. 
 
The losers in this situation will be the fourth grade students at Marlinton Elementary who will be forced to move to the middle school before they are ready.  Sure, some will adjust, but my worry is for the majority who will find the move frightening and confusing.  What few advantages gained by moving up to the middle school are far outweighed by the many disadvantages.  Middle school age is a very difficult time in a young person’s life.  Think back to your middle school years.  It is a time of awkwardness, and puberty is hitting with all of the strange feelings that go along with it.  The most important thing at this stage in life is fitting in.  Students will change in order to fit in with a group and oftentimes, parents will not even recognize their own children.  Anyone who has had children or who works with children knows that there is a vast different between 5th graders and 8th graders.  All 5th graders could benefit with another year in elementary school. 
 
Why would we want to send our children into a middle school setting earlier than necessary?  For a little band and art?  That does not make sense.  I feel that the needs of a few adults have been placed before the needs of the students, and the students come out the losers.
 
I have been asked why a Hillsboro parent is even involved and that this is none of our business.  I will tell you why.  Every other year, we have had to fight to keep our fifth graders where they belong—in the elementary school. To the parents of Hillsboro students: be on your guard. 
 
In the future when budgets get even tighter, this question of moving our fifth graders to the middle school will more than likely come up again.
 
Dina Buly
Hillsboro

Dear Editor:
It was very interesting to read the article and see the picture of the Durbin Baseball team in The Times.
While in my last two years of high school at Green Bank – 1949 and 1950 - I played baseball with some of these guys on the Bartow Motors team, sponsored by Randolph Bledsoe.
I was surpirsed to learn that they had played baseball all those years.
Robert E. Tacy
Circleville, Ohio

Dear Editor:
It seems that we are at a crossroads in this nation where the Constitution of the United States is being consistently ignored. To be clear, this is not a left vs. right, Democrat vs. Republican-only battle, even though the media portrays it as such. This battle is for the inalienable rights of all Americans.
Understand, the Bill of Rights is not a statement of what Rights the government gives to the People. Indeed, it is a statement that the government understands and acknowledges that there are 10 birthrights bestowed by God on all Americans, by virtue of being an American, to which the government has no ability to limit or break. This is the fundamental tenet of the Constitution.
However, some in government are attempting to circumvent these Rights, and to all those that value the wisdom of our Founding Fathers this appears by all intents and purposes as a nefarious and scheming tactic of subversion. The Federalists of the day were worried that by enumerating these Rights at all, it created an opening by which the Federal government could subvert them. Under the pen name of Brutus, most probably Robert Yates, it was said, “With equal truth it may be said, that all the powers which the bills of rights guard against the abuse of, are contained or implied in the general ones granted by this Constitution. So clear a point is this, that I cannot help suspecting that persons who attempt to persuade people that such reservations were less necessary under this Constitution than under those of the States, are willfully endeavoring to deceive, and to lead you into an absolute state of vassalage”.
The latest attack is being levied at the Right to keep and bear arms. Certainly the wording of the Second Amendment has been a source of debate for decades, but with a little research anyone can discern that the intent was for all Americans, individually, to be blessed with this right. From George Mason, called the “Father of the United States Bill of Rights”, “The government should be enjoined against maintaining a standing army, and that a “well-regulated militia”, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state.” And in these trying times, where our society is being steered toward a rural vs. urban class system, James Madison seemed all too aware of the dangers. In The Federalist Papers, No. 51, Madison wrote: “It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part... In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature, where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger.”
I fear there is a battle to come – between those that believe in the powers guaranteed by the Constitution and those that believe in the powers of government. Every elected official has taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. If you are in such a position of service and cannot abide by the tenets of our sovereign nation, resign. Your opinion is not greater than the Constitution. The inability to fiercely defend the Rights of all Americans can no longer be tolerated. To the rest of you, research the Constitution, know the intent of its writers, then vote - and we, together, can remove those who refuse to abide by this most precious statement of Rights.

Michael J. Holstine
Dunmore

Dear Editor:
I am very disappointed in the recent board of education decision to rescind its recent approval of moving the fifth grade back to Marlinton Elementary.  It has only been two weeks since the decision was made which is hardly enough time to put together a plan and then the action was withdrawn.  I saw the move as advantageous for Marlinton Middle School.  The school would only need to concentrate on sixth through eighth grades and not the difficult task of transitioning two sets of students—fourth graders from Marlinton and fifth graders from Hillsboro. 

Yes, a shakeup in personnel would have occurred which would have to follow West Virginia personnel rules.  Instead of letting this proceed, it looks as if there were some behind the scenes shenanigans or “back door” deals that were in play to save jobs.  This is the kind of “double dealing” politics that have marred Pocahontas County in the past.  Postponing the decision a year from now would mean the same old arguments would still be happening, and the same personnel decisions would have to be made.  Whether now or later, the personnel decisions would still have to be made according to West Virginia School law policies.
 
The business of education should be for the benefit of the students; this is the reason schools exist.  Adults need to act as adults and make decisions that are in the best interests of students—not the adults. 
 
The losers in this situation will be the fourth grade students at Marlinton Elementary who will be forced to move to the middle school before they are ready.  Sure, some will adjust, but my worry is for the majority who will find the move frightening and confusing.  What few advantages gained by moving up to the middle school are far outweighed by the many disadvantages.  Middle school age is a very difficult time in a young person’s life.  Think back to your middle school years.  It is a time of awkwardness, and puberty is hitting with all of the strange feelings that go along with it.  The most important thing at this stage in life is fitting in.  Students will change in order to fit in with a group and oftentimes, parents will not even recognize their own children.  Anyone who has had children or who works with children knows that there is a vast different between 5th graders and 8th graders.  All 5th graders could benefit with another year in elementary school. 
 
Why would we want to send our children into a middle school setting earlier than necessary?  For a little band and art?  That does not make sense.  I feel that the needs of a few adults have been placed before the needs of the students, and the students come out the losers.
 
I have been asked why a Hillsboro parent is even involved and that this is none of our business.  I will tell you why.  Every other year, we have had to fight to keep our fifth graders where they belong—in the elementary school. To the parents of Hillsboro students: be on your guard. 
 
In the future when budgets get even tighter, this question of moving our fifth graders to the middle school will more than likely come up again.
 
Dina Buly
Hillsboro