Readers Write (June 24): Sand mining, BWCA tower, students, helmet laws, noisy dogs

Thank you for Jon Tevlin's column on proposed sand mining in the Stockholm, Wis., area ("Mr. Sandman brings a dream to a river town in Wisconsin," June 20). This is not a trivial matter that will soon go away. There is a struggle ahead. Fighting greed is a difficult and continuing battle.

Throughout our history, the greed of a few has destroyed land, forests, waterways and the heritage of future generations. This must not be repeated with sand mining. The beautiful heritage of the Mississippi must be preserved, not sold to those who care nothing for what they plan to destroy. The land, the river, the lake and the roads must not be relinquished to a few who care only for themselves and the wealth they want to gain. The few jobs that may be created will never compensate for what will be lost.

We can't change the scars left on our nation from the past, but we can stand up and prevent new wounds that will never heal.

JANET GARRETSON, PEPIN, WIS.

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Even though I knew the "Sandman" would eventually come to Stockholm, I was shocked to see the high estimates of traffic through the town. Truck traffic, train traffic and boat traffic would erase 40-plus years of work creating one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I was born on a farm in 1924, and I have thousands of memories of how beautiful Stockholm was while I was in grade school. I still visit to honor my parents', grandparents' and great-grandparents' grave sites. These trips always end with a walk through Stockholm, conversations with the shop owners and a taste of the special treats created at Bogus Creek or the Pie Shop.

Keep Stockholm beautiful and quaint. Rumbling trucks would destroy all of the beauty in the area.

CURT MOLINE, ROSEVILLE

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I understand the concern of Stephen Wilbers and other opponents of the proposed cellphone tower in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that the lights will detract from the apparently wild nature of the scenery ("A scar on 'bewildering beauty,' " June 20). But the area is scarcely wilderness at this point. BWCA camping must be done at sites improved by cooking grates surrounded by makeshift seating and featuring actual toilets! And in real wilderness, you don't see other people around you constantly, nor their gas lanterns at night. In fact, you probably carry a gun to protect yourself from wild animals and other people. So the presence of the tower lights will merely remind BWCA campers that they are a bit safer in this huge park. In any case, it should be no problem for those who don't want to see the lights to select a campsite where they are not visible, or just face away from them.

ERIC L. BRESSLER, MINNETONKA

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Sometimes good news is actually bad news. A June 14 vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee to approve the fiscal year 2013 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill is a good example. The good news? The 21st Century Community Learning Centers were funded. The bad news? The funds for the centers will be shifted away from after-school and summer-program allocations.

If this Senate bill becomes law, communities throughout Minnesota and the nation could lose their after-school programs, and many more children and teens will be left unsupervised during the important afternoon hours while their parents are at work.

With more and more working families working two or more jobs, we can't allow these children and teens -- more than 8 million nationally -- to lose the supervised and supported programming they need between 3 and 6 p.m. Investing in our children and teens is investing in our future.

After-school programs have been shown to improve school attendance, increase achievement, and result in better academic and school behaviors. The investment we fail to make today may haunt us in the future.

DAVID GAGNE, MINNEAPOLIS

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As someone who always wears a full-faced motorcycle helmet, I totally agree that wearing a quality helmet goes a long ways in improving your overall chances of avoiding significant injury ("Death spotlights lax motorcycle laws," June 18). There are a few other significant factors, including impaired riding, excessive speed and inexperience.

According to statistics published by the Governors Highway Safety Association, 29 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists in 2010 had a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit. Also reported by the GHSA, 35 percent of riders involved in fatal accidents were riding considerably over the speed limit, with half of those fatalities not even involving another vehicle.

Finally, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation reports that in 2006 more than half of accident-involved motorcyclists had less than five months of experience on the motorcycle they were riding at the time.

I would be interested in seeing what the statistics would show after taking these additional risk factors into account.

BRUCE BARTON, BLOOMINGTON

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I realize that one must be willing to tolerate a certain level of noise when living in the city. I bought a home in what seemed to be a nice, quiet neighborhood. All was well for several years, but it's changed for the worse.

Every other house on my block owns a dog. Many people walk their dogs every day. The problem is, no one ever stops their dogs from barking. Ever. It's like living in a kennel around here.

Respect your neighbors. Let us all enjoy some peace and quiet!

SUZANNE GUPTILL, MINNEAPOLIS