Letters to the Editor
We welcome your opinions and letters — with name and address. We will edit when necessary. Include your name, address and phone number for verification. Mail them to Bay Weekly, P.O. Box 358, Deale, MD 20751 • E-mail them to us at [email protected].
Give Native Oyster Efforts More Time
Dear Bay Weekly:
I thoroughly enjoy reading Bay Weekly. It’s great to have a small, local paper that focuses so much energy and space on Bay-related topics. It’s by engaging and educating the public that we have a chance of recovering our precious Chesapeake.
In Vol. 12, No. 6 [Feb. 5], C.D. Dollar wrote an excellent column entitled “Listen to the Trees.” I would like to offer a small but pertinent clarification to the South River Federation’s position. Our goal is to protect resources inside the critical area on Homeport Farm that have been identified as Resource Conservation Area. The owners/developers of the farm would be entitled to develop areas outside of the critical area, and we are not opposed to development outside the critical area.
On a second note, I have been pleased to read about the controversy surrounding the introduction of an Asian oyster to Chesapeake Bay. South River Federation is opposed to introducing any non-native species to the Bay region. The introduction of a non-native species is a very drastic step. We believe that, at this point, it would be more prudent to make a sincere and concerted effort to restore our native oyster and see where that leaves us in 10 years.
We understand that there are watermen whose livelihoods depend on our Bay’s waters and that because of declines in water quality, increases in population in the watershed, etc., it is increasingly difficult to earn a living working on the water.
It’s our belief that solutions are out there if we are willing to think outside the box, to be creative. There are opportunities for conservation groups like South River Federation to work closely with local watermen to restore our native oyster. And it is imperative that we make a concerted effort to restore native species before we open Pandora’s Box by playing God in the Bay.
— Drew Koslow, Annapolis
Whatever Happened to Constructive Criticism?
Dear Bay Weekly:
Please let me add a note to the ongoing brouhaha concerning Matthew Pugh’s review of a high school musical event, the Battle of the Bands [Vol. XII, No. 5: Jan. 29].
Parents and musicians who vented so much outrage about Pugh’s review seem to be angered that even a whisper of negativism should be attached to the aspiring musicians. The tenor of the many letters seems to be this: These are high school students and should therefore not be criticized.
I know nothing about music except that I know what I like when I hear it, and I know what I don’t like. If I take the trouble to read about music, I appreciate reading an account that has the ring of truth to it. Mr. Pugh’s story meets that standard: He reports what he heard, and that’s what music reviewers do.
We’re told that the teenage musicians worked hard, and I’m sure they did, but he or she who works hardest doesn’t always win the prize. We may assume, for example, that many young German musicians worked harder than Mozart, but they had to settle for something other than first place. That’s the way this world is, and if mild criticism is the worst thing that ever happens to these young musicians they can indeed count themselves lucky. It’s also possible, just possible, that they learned from the criticism something constructive.
— Richard E. Wilson, Chesapeake Beach
Through the Magic of the Internet
Dear Bay Weekly:
I recently read M.L. Faunce’s story “There’s Still Magic in Those Old Merry-Go-Rounds” [Vol. VI, No. 19] on-line on bayweekly.com. I found the article in an Internet Google search for Glen Echo Park.
Your article is so touching, and I have shared it with a number of our staff and visitors. Thank you for writing it!
As you may know, the amusement park at Glen Echo closed in the late 1960s and was acquired by the National Park Service in 1970. The carousel is still here and runs from May through September. The Spanish Ballroom has recently been restored to its 1930s’-era glory and is again one of the great places to go dancing in the D.C. area. There are also two theaters, a nature museum and 11 art studios now operating in the park.
We regularly show old home movies at our visitors center, and always happy to receive donations of film or copies of home movies that show the history of the park. We can transfer film to tapes or DVDs and return the originals.
Thanks you for all the work you do at bayweekly.com. It is a delightful site!
— Sam Swersky, National Park Ranger: Glen Echo Park,
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Author Gratefully Understood
Dear Bay Weekly:
Thank you for Sonia Linebaugh’s well-executed article, “Publish or Perish” [Vol. XII: No. 8, Feb. 19]. As one of the authors Sonia interviewed, I can tell you how much informational pieces like this are appreciated. It’s important for readers to understand the challenges writers face in today’s publishing climate.
— Cynthia Polansky, Annapolis
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