Way to Write Katie

Long story short, Katie wrote a letter to the editor that was AWESOME!! So good and I wanted to post it.

7/5/10


Dear Editor

I am writing in regards to the recent article “New World Class Golf Course in Drigss” written by Jay Heater and published in the Idaho State Journal on July 4th,2010. I would like to set the record straight, the land now developed by Huntsman’s Springs was previously not an “overgrazed cattle ranch”. They did not “save” the land from mismanaged ranchers. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. The truth is that the ranches and farms that now make up the Huntsman Springs Development were once family owned, multi-generational operations that prided themselves in taking care of land. Without proper management, farmers/rancher cannot be profitable. It is in our best interests not to overgraze and mismanage the land. You cannot tell me that the land is now better off with another golf course. Last time I checked golfers didn’t raise food for us to eat. Huntsman Springs has totally changed the landscape of the land, in some places raising the elevation several feet. Gone are the native grasses and wetlands that covered that landscape. That region once held many fresh water springs and was a sanctuary to many native species including the sand hill crane, even with the cows.

I know the people that made their livelihoods off of that land; in fact my family was one of them. It broke our hearts when the decision was made to sell the operation, but because of rapid development in the area it was no longer a place we wanted to be. Expansion of the airport and the expanding town encroached on our precious haven. Beyond that, the attitude of people against the “good ol boys” left a sour note in our mouths. Nowhere in our minds did we anticipate the extent of change to the land that this sale would cause. Yes, we loved that land and that “pasture”. It was a place of refuge and peace. Our livelihoods came from working the land. You cannot imagine the amount of blood, sweat, and hard work that went into making that land productive.

So to Mr. David McLay Kidd, don’t fool yourself and don’t try to fool others. Teton Valley wasn’t enhanced by yet another golf course or by the multi-million dollar development of Huntsman’s springs. Precious land was changed and good people moved elsewhere to continue their livelihoods of agriculture.

Katie Curtis Panter

Twin Falls, Idaho