Dear Editor, Because of your support, our troops in Iraq
&
amp; Afghanistan will have many goodies to enjoy this Holiday
Season.
Morgan Hill residents come up huge to help our troops
Dear Editor,
Because of your support, our troops in Iraq & Afghanistan will have many goodies to enjoy this Holiday Season.
The South Bay Blue Star Moms and the volunteers who made this possible send their deepest thanks to all of you who donated, giving us kind words and hugs. To Ralph Aguinaga, our biggest supporter and his Nob Hill staff; to Raley’s Family of Fine Foods for this opportunity; to the Patriot Guard, always there for us; our loved ones and those who serve.
Just remember, because of your generosity our troops will know how much you care and love them.
Lolly & Jamie Amato, proud parents of a U.S Marine
Tony Eulo’s eco article points out the dire situation in which we live
Dear Editor,
The question is not more conservation or more water projects, but both. First, we need to conserve more water. We can do that among all the other options by mandating drought tolerant and native California plants in all public and private projects. With continued drought and global warming, we no longer have the choice. We all dislike and some even hate the word mandate but we really have no alternative, just read the research, look at satellite photos and you will conclude that mandated solutions are now required for Morgan Hill and the rest of the world.
Sheltered in this valley, many have yet to explore the city limits let alone understand the issue that is before us. We have ignored this problem for a time. We have come to expect that when we turn on the tap, water appears. But the future is not promising and the tap will disappear.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District imports 50 percent of its water from the delta. The delta is not a sustainable or a reliable resource. On the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains we have drained the Owens River of water, fish and wildlife to sustain Los Angeles. These are poor policy choices that reflect our narrow vision and which will come back to haunt us.
The battle fields of tomorrow will not be over oil, it will be over water as the Bay Area and Central Valley turns arid and dry. This transition may occur within our lifetime if not, certainly that of our children. By 2019 the summer arctic ice cap will disappear. Remember, the ice caps reflect sunlight and keep us cool. Their loss will only raise the earth’s temperature.
Locally, we can do our part. We have a project that desperately needs our focus. We need what is commonly referred to as a scalping plant, where we recycle water locally as opposed to pumping it to Gilroy for treatment.
The most significant cost of any water system is power. Pumps consume between 40 and 60 percent of most water districts budgets, reduce pumping and you reduce taxpayer costs, our carbon footprint and more importantly you recharge the very aquifer that we depend on for our very survival.
We need to look to a different type of park, natural parks that follow our creeks and streams that provide open space, restore natural habitat, and allow for healthy recreation opportunities right in the middle of town.
Aside from the projects I mentioned, we need to implement and strengthen our current policies with mandates, we have to begin investment in capital projects so that we become less reliant on the water district and anyone else for that matter.
The issue for Morgan Hill is not growth but plans and policies necessary to protect and sustain what we have. We need a balanced approach and salient initiative from our leadership to preserve this community and set an example for all those around us.
We have squandered the last 25 years. The time for action is today or tomorrow will be a nightmare.
Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill
Elected officials should treasure and retain the rural charm of area
Dear Editor,
Kudos to reporter Sara Suddes for her story “Cultivating a Community.”
This article addresses a dilemma we’ve observed since moving to Morgan Hill in the early ’60s. Having spent my very early years in and among farming families, my heart lies on the side of the farmers.
Back then, we were surprised and delighted to wake up to the aroma of garlic and onions in the early, foggy mornings. And, after moving to the Paradise Valley area just north of Watsonville Road, we quickly acclimated to the not so delightful aroma of the nearby mushroom farm.
Being able to look out my kitchen windows and watch horses and dairy cattle grazing in the uncluttered foothills, makes the extra dusting, those “country” odors, and the occasional noise of farm equipment seem positively irrelevant. Even the occasional mournful calling of a cow for her recently separated calf has its place here.
Although we’ve sincerely appreciated and enjoyed living in the area all these years, the joy has been dampened by seeing the crops of productive fields being replaced by housing developments – not to mention that rezoning and taxation regulations, in the name of progress, have forced some farmers to seek other avenues of income.
It’s a fact ’round the world it seems; could “Soylent Green” be creeping up on us?
To continue enjoying fresh produce and meat, some folks who seek the country living environment will simply have to acclimate to the country sounds and smells.
I should note that when we first came to Morgan Hill the land we now live upon was farmland.
Donna Murillo, Morgan Hill
