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Treat e-bikes like all motorized vehicles

E-bikes are motorized vehicles so treat ’em as such. Require a driver’s license, follow the rules of the road, all the usual stuff cars, motorcycles, mopeds, etc., have to do. What’s so hard about enforcing that? The city needs the money so fine ’em. There’s no enforcement of any kind in this town anymore.

Sorry, Dacia Kailin, no motorized vehicle on the trails. They’ll be ruined for everybody, just watch.

There, I feel better now!

— Jim Leander, Bend

Singletrack trails may be the e-bike solution

I spend half of my time in Bend; the other is spent in Lake Tahoe. While in Tahoe, I spend lots of time biking in the Tahoe National Forest. My bike of choice is a Class 1 e-bike. Presently, the Tahoe National Forest offers 225 miles of legal singletrack trails. In addition, the Forest Service just recently finalized an environmental analysis and has allowed an additional 35 miles of biking singletrack trails.

The Tahoe National Forest is also considering options that would further expand the use of e-bikes.

Two things I’ve noticed: Class 1 e-bikes cause no more erosion than regular pedal bikes; young people keep passing me on their straight pedal bikes.

Perhaps its time for the Deschutes National Forest to step up and make the right decision on e-bikes. I look forward to riding Phil’s Trail network.

— Michael Rich, Bend

COCC speaker issue not so black and white 

I agree with Charlie Thomson’s letter published on July 18, except for one word. That would be liberal. Substitute liberal for right-winger.

Let’s take Ron DeSantis’ position on several fronts: “Don’t say gay,” deprive a woman of the right to her choice, deprive a private business (Disney) because you disagree with its LGBT stance, take all the books you disagree with off the shelves of schools and libraries.

Then there’s Donald Trump, who withdrew White House press credentials for certain reporters he didn’t like, refused to do the honorable thing regarding his loss in 2020 election. But for brevity, the list could go on and on.

Yes, I think Chavez-DeRemer should be allowed to be the commencement speaker, but a clear-eyed opinion is missing from Mr. Thomson’s letter.

— Alan Pachtman, Bend

Free speech should deal in facts 

Charlie Thomson’s letter “Free Speech and COCC: allow for opposing views” referenced free speech being a pillar that this country was built on, but he neglected to remember that included in that pillar is the right to protest.

The students at COCC did just that. I can respect people having ideas and views that differ from mine, but there’s a difference between debating opinions and debating facts. I’ve tried to have discussions to understand why someone would think the election was stolen (such is Rep. Chavez-DeRemer’s view) even though there is no evidence.

Would you believe me if I said every time I golf alone, my golf score is 18? What’s the difference? What scares me is it seems to some that anything the former president says is tantamount to that of a god.

I’d also refrain from referencing Hitler. I mean, Hitler’s followers did what he said just because he was Hitler, even though it went against all common sense. Imagine if someone told his followers to do something and they did it even though it went against all common sense? Jan. 6 anyone?

— Gene del Pilar, Bend

Forest thinning creates more chance for windblown flames

Four factors increase the likelihood of large wildfires: high temperature, drought, fuel and wind. The first two factors are being influenced by climate change and will continue to increase the likelihood of wildfires until humans stop burning petroleum, coal, wood and natural gas as sources of energy. Combustion of any of these substances puts carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere.

In the Western United States, there is an ongoing attempt to reduce the fuel loads of forests by “thinning.” This is a slow, labor-intensive process. It also contributes to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when debris piles are burned rather than chipped and left to gradually decay into the forest soil.

Unfortunately, thinning of forests also opens them up to increased wind speeds. I always notice the wind speed differences when nordic skiing through heavy forest versus the more open areas. Generally, increased wind speed leads to more rapidly spreading and hotter forest fire, therefore, greater damage.

It is yet unknown, conclusively, whether the negative effect of increased wind speed in thinned forests is balanced by the positive effect of reduced fuel load in controlling forest fires. Humans must stop burning substances for energy generation. We must more rapidly switch to other non-combustion sources of energy, such as, solar, wind and geothermal in order to slow and reverse increased global warming.

— Gail Sabbadini, Bend