I grew up camping in places where we might not see another person for days.  Our favorite spots to pitch our tent were areas that had been logged.  In those days “selective cutting” was practiced by loggers.  That is, they would “thin,” reduce the number of trees in an area, removed the unhealthy and diseased trees, and leave the rest.  Loggers and campers had a symbiotic relationship.  The branches left behind by loggers were collected by campers and burned in campfires.  Dirt roads cut by logging bulldozers served as roads and paths for campers to drive or hike.  They also came in handy for forest fire fighters when needed.  The image of Pop and I hiking was taken as we hiked an old logging road that had degraded into just a path. 

Today, the forest products industry practices “clear-cutting.”  That is they cut all trees in a section.  Their ads show selective cut area while telling you the forest will soon be restored.  Don’t believe it.  As soon as the replanted trees get tall, they will be logged off again.  Clear-cutting degrades the top soil and makes areas prone to mudslides and contributes to downstream flooding.  , doThey tell you old growth forests are fire hazards.  Don’t believe it.  Trees grow tall and bushy in an untouched forest.  Little sunlight reaches the ground.  Without sunlight, grass and brush cannot grow.  It’s brush and grass that easily catches on fire.  They tell you they provide lots of jobs.  Don’t believe it.  Clearcutting is often done by just one or two loggers using machines that cuts, deb ranches, debarks a tree in 30 seconds.  Hey, forest products industry, do what you want with your own land, but stop clear-cutting public land.

 

Today many would ban guns.  I’ve included pics of me shooting my Pop’s “rabbit gun,” a 22 rifle, to underscore my point.  For me, education about guns began when I was a toddler.  I playfully pointed a toy gun at someone and my Dad’s hunting partner sternly said, “Never point a gun at a person or yourself!”  Pop began educating me about guns at about age 4.  Lessons included, how to walk with someone who has a gun.  How to hold a gun, how to get through brush or fence when carrying a gun.  How to stay out of a gun carrier’s line of sight if attacked by bear or cougar.  At age 5, Pop began teaching me to shoot a gun.  The phots on this page show how carefully he watched me when I had a gun in my hands.  My sharp shooting lessons continued thru age 10 or 12.  Then he made a bet with me.  If I could hit a tin can, 4 out of 5 times, at a distance of 200 paces, I could have his rabbit gun.  The first shots hit dead center.  I missed the 5th.  Pop never made that bet with me again, and his shooting lessons ended.  I never liked the idea of shooting critters so I never hunted.  Today I feel more secure knowing that in a pinch, I could defend myself, or bag a critter for food.  Today I hear lots of “ban guns,” but few if any offering the kind of teaching about guns that my Dad provided to me.  Laws are for law abiding citizens.  Criminals don’t abide by the rules and will continue to find ways to get guns illegally.  We require driver education for anyone who drives a car.  Why can’t we require gun education for everyone who owns a gun?  And yes, that education should include, “Never point a gun at another person, or yourself!”

 

Revised:  April 2022

Page by Rozanne of Zandance

email: connect.with.rozanne@gmail.com