Letters to the editor Sept. 6

Public access

Kudos to the Joneses from Texas for their generous donation to MSU. That will help the nursing program greatly.

One talking point that has been published frequently is that they have kept their 126,000 acres open to the public. In reality, they have closed off over 20,000 acres in the Rollins and Lakeside area. The places where we have picked huckleberries, hiked, biked and hunted now have large no trespassing signs.

Just another example where we as Montanans should make every possible attempt to procure more public access and acquire these large pieces before they are all bought up.

—Lew Moore, Rollins

Protect the children

The Aug. 12 edition of the Inter Lake somewhat coincidentally had two articles on masking in schools. The Kalispell school board announced that masking will be optional. The same issue also had a lengthy article from the Montana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics outlining the reasons for encouraging vaccination and masking.

Children under 12 can not as yet get vaccinated. The delta variant accounts for almost all of the rapidly rising local Covid infections and has shown itself to be much more dangerous to children than the original strain. I believe masks actually protect those around the wearer much better than the wearer themselves.

For all these reasons, it would behoove the Kalispell school board to reconsider their position and at least make masks mandatory for grades K-5. This position would last until those at risk have the opportunity to get vaccinated and have some protection from unintended transmission from their school mates.

I don’t believe any of the Kalispell school board wants to deal with a parent who has done all they can to protect their kids yet watches that same kid get seriously ill or die from exposure to someone who doesn’t believe what their pediatricians are saying-wear a mask and get vaccinated.

—Dr. Ken Mcfadden, Whitefish