Please keep Carson River Canyon clean
My husband and I live in Dayton, close to the Carson River. After reading the recent article in the Nevada Appeal on Carson River rafting, we decided to take one of our dogs on a picnic and spend an afternoon sitting by it.
From the dirt road we traveled, we looked down on what we thought would be a lovely spot to spend a few quiet hours away from work and everyday stress. We parked our truck near the river and walked in. Lo and behold, this ideal spot turned out to be anything but.
It was trashed with beer cans, beer boxes, beer bottles, cigarette butts, broken glass, dirty clothing, bullet shells, even an empty box of what we assumed were what the kids call poppers. There also were remnants of many live tree branches either cut or broken off and probably used for fire pits.
The article we read stressed the availability of the Carson River for rafting and sight-seeing. But, as we looked around at the garbage and broken glass, we were wondering how any rafters would even want to land on such an ugly and potentially dangerous site.
The entire Carson River is obviously impossible to protect and much of it is private land, whose owners graciously allow people to use.
So, let me recommend the following, for all of us who have the privilege of using this beautiful land and river, please follow the policy: What you take in, you take out.
Bonnie Matton
Dayton
Don't waste $20,000 on Gibbons portrait
Where is Picasso when we need him? As far as I can see, Picasso is the only one who could possibly do justice to the portrait of the two faces of Gov. Gibbons.
Since Picasso is no longer with us, rather than commissioning an expensive artist for $20,000, I suggest that you have a contest with a $5,000 prize. There are a lot of amateurs and art students who would like to get in on that action, and it would save the state $15,000.
After all, Gibbons has only been in office one term and he managed, for the first time in Nevada history, to lose the election in the primary. We don't need to spend all this money. His portrait will only hang in some dark corner of the Capitol.
Cheri Scott
Mound House