LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

[November 15th, 2006] THE BEAT GOES ON

It was disappointing to see such a one-sided view of what transpired in relation to the departure of Diane Lund-Muzikant from the Oregon Health News, the newsletter she founded 16 years ago ["Surgical Strike," WW, Nov. 1, 2006]. The article failed to mention that the two remaining reporters have been given the same editorial freedom by the board and the managing director that Diane has always enjoyed. No one has told us they plan to "water down" the newsletter.

While Diane's skills will be missed, we plan to continue the same type of watchdog journalism this newsletter has been known for, continuing to highlight healthcare industry lobbying, executives' salaries and profitability. As the leading source of healthcare policy news in the state, we will continue to hold the healthcare industry accountable. We encourage anyone to read our publication in the months to come and decide for themselves whether we've lost our edge.

Tim Stumm, Acting Editor-in-Chief

David Rosenfeld, News Reporter
Oregon Health News
Northwest 21st Avenue

MUZZLING THE WATCHDOG

I worked as a reporter under Diane Lund-Muzikant for three years and am outraged at the Oregon Health Forum Board of Directors' decision to fire her.

For 16 years, she worked tirelessly to expose corruption in Oregon's healthcare industry. She chronicled the plight of the uninsured and mentally ill while the healthcare industry and the lazy mainstream media ignored them.

Unlike the hospital CEOs and insurance-company executives she wrote about, she is motivated by pure passion for the subject matter—not financial gain—and I hope she will continue publishing her fine work elsewhere.

The Board of Directors should be ashamed of themselves for voting to muzzle this extraordinary voice.

Rory David Carroll
Washington, D.C.

THE HUMAN BEING AND THE FISH CAN COEXIST

I would like to respond to a claim that Brian Posewitz, board president of WaterWatch of Oregon, made in his letter of Oct. 18, 2006.

Mr. Posewitz stated that "Portland is seeking federal approval of a plan that will allow what would otherwise violate the Endangered Species Act." This does not accurately represent the City's actions to protect native fish populations while continuing to provide pure drinking water to nearly 800,000 residents in the greater Portland metropolitan area.

Seven years ago when four salmon species were listed under the Endangered Species Act in the Columbia Basin, the Portland Water Bureau began to plan for meeting the requirements of the law, ensuring the continued availability of the drinking-water supply and contributing to the aquatic ecosystem of the Bull Run River and wider Sandy River Basin.

In 2000, the Water Bureau initiated an extensive collaborative process to elicit the collective wisdom and professional judgment of scientists and regional policy makers from federal and state agencies and local conservation organizations. This collaboration, known as the Sandy River Basin Partners, is a key aspect of how Portland will participate with other interested stakeholders in the Sandy River Basin to leverage our collective resources to restore native fish populations.

The City, working with its partners, is in the process of establishing specific long-term commitments to provide flow, temperature and habitat conditions that will benefit fish—not only on the Bull Run River, but throughout the Sandy River Basin. These commitments will form the basis of a habitat conservation plan (HCP) to establish the City's long-term compliance with the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act. The HCP, and the accompanying Environmental Impact Statement, will be available for public review in the fall of 2007.

The City's habitat conservation plan will be a long-term legal agreement between Portland and the state and federal government. Far from violating the Endangered Species Act, the HCP, if approved by federal regulatory agencies, will ensure investments in Sandy Basin fish and wildlife habitat for generations to come.

David G. Shaff
Administrator
Portland Water Bureau

CORRECTION: WW's Aug. 30, 2006, cover story ("Amigos Like These") incorrectly referred to ads being in the Hispanic Yellow Pages. The ads were in the Hispanic Telephone Directory, which is not the Spanish Yellow Pages, Hispanic Directory of Oregon.