I’m writing to thank you for your recent article about the Leaburg Fish Hatchery (2/28), which is once again threatened with closure as early as July of this year.

I am a property owner less than a mile from the hatchery; I watch many cars come and go along Route 126, filled with people from Springfield, Eugene, etc., on their way to the foothills and mountains to enjoy Oregon’s well-celebrated abundance.

However, I sometimes wonder how many of them think about the people who live and/or work here. Most of us who live “out here” spend money, attend events, do business in — and, in other words, contribute to the communities of — Springfield, Eugene and the rest of the state. Apart from those much-celebrated resources, our communities don’t get much fuss or fanfare (or funding) from the media or political interest groups.

And yet our rural communities are made up of property owners — many of them long-term residents rich with history and experience; local businesses of all kinds; organic farms and farmers of all kinds; artisans and craft communities; churches and community groups; outdoor/recreation groups and guides — in other words, thriving communities in need of budget help now.

Your article, which I reference, has inspired me to write letters to a slew of politicians who will hopefully keep this unique, vital resource open another year, and then, even better yet, budget for the Leaburg Fish Hatchery’s permanent survival.

B.E. Scully

Leaburg

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