River Bombing an ‘Arrogant’ Action

Thanks for “The River Mild” (Dec. 17) on the bombing of Quartzite Falls.

I am a rafting outfitter on the Salt River and thus one of the purported “beneficiaries” of Taz Stoner and friends’ rearrangement of Quartzite Falls.

I was horrified by this act of destruction and remain troubled by its underlying arrogance. I want your readers to understand that all the river runners of my acquaintance absolutely repudiate this action and the Rambo mentality underlying it.

Wilderness such as we find on the Salt River is a place we seek in order to experience the power of nature on its own terms. What we gain in running wild rivers is a sense of renewal and the assurance that the Earth endures. We boaters have a saying: The river always wins.

For Stoner to suggest that his action saved lives, that it was the river that killed the two Californians in 1993, is pure rationalization. The truth is these rafters died because they failed to respect the power of the river, a hubris that has proven fatal to other boaters in other rapids and will, no doubt, result in deaths to come.

The Native Americans who have long called the Salt River home believe there are spirits in this water that speak to and influence those who come to its edge.

I suspect there is something of truth in this and that these entities may yet have their way with such pathetic creatures who use dynamite and bulldozers for dubious goals.

STEVE HARRIS

El Prado, N.M.

*

Let me see if I have this straight. Because some people were too macho or too stupid to heed the warnings about a dangerous natural resource, Taz Stoner blows it up? And then doesn’t even realize he committed a crime?

The only crime here is Taz Stoner. What a moron. Nature has lost a natural, scenic wonder because he wants to “save lives.”

I would rather be saved from him and any other similar-thinking Neanderthals.

LYNN BERK

North Las Vegas, Nev.

*

* Letters should be brief and must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. No pseudonyms may be used. Letters are subject to editing and condensation. Mention date of publication when referring to a specific article. Mail to Letters in Life & Style, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053. Letters may also be faxed: (213) 237-7630.