Air Date: Week of June 1, 2001

This week, Living on Earth dips into our mailbag to hear what listeners have to say about our stories.

Transcript

CURWOOD: Time for comments from our listeners.

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CURWOOD: Reaction to our story about the biodiversity of Tongass National Forest and potential road building and logging there covered the spectrum. Judith Frederick is a KUOW listener in Seattle, who lived in Ketchikan, Alaska, for 25 years. "I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed listening to your program," she writes. "Most people in the lower 48 don't even know about the Tongass. I now live in Tacoma, Washington, and I haven't met a person yet who knows just how large and amazing the Tongass is."

Others were not so pleased. Patrick Tierney heard our show on the Internet. "As a professional forester and certified silviculturalist, I strongly object to the idea that the Forest Service has caused stunning environmental damage," he writes. "This is not to say that there have not been mistakes made in the past, but permanent environmental damage is rare. I personally invite you to visit and let me enlighten you on the state of the art in ecosystem management"

Curtis Rendon hears us on KUT in Austin, Texas. He got a good laugh out of our hybrid car skit, especially since he's a hybrid car owner himself. "For the record," he writes, "I am a six-foot-tall, 250-pound male. And I get into it easily, and it is one of the most comfortable cars I have ever ridden in. As for performance," Mr. Rendon continues, "any tank of gas that I fail to average 50 miles per gallon on means I've been hot-rodding a bit much, and it hot-rods very nicely."

But truth be told, our mailbox was stuffed with letters from penguin-loving knitters ready to whip up sweaters for tiny oil spill victims. Ruth Goldschlager of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, hears us on WHYY. She's visited the fairy penguins in Australia and wrote, "I would do anything to make these wonderful creatures feel as good as they made me feel when I saw them."

We welcome your comments and criticisms. Call our listener line any time at 800-218-9988. That's 800-218-9988. Or write to 8 Story Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. Our e-mail address is letters@loe.org. Once again, letters@loe.org. And visit our Web page at www.loe.org. That's www.loe.org. CDs, tapes, and transcripts are $15.

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