Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (May 27, 2005)

Navy needs to make commitment

Editor:

Thank you for your excellent reporting on Moffett Field issues last week ("Mixed bag for Moffett makeover").

The paper's continuing coverage of Superfund Site 25 over several years has made it impossible for the U.S. Navy to dismiss the community's insistence on a full cleanup of shoreline parcels that can be restored to tidal marsh habitat for fish and wildlife.

Now the Navy should turn its hints into a binding commitment, so that Moffett Field's shoreline becomes part of a healthy and vibrant Bay that the whole community can enjoy and embrace.

Save The Bay's partnership with local organizations and citizens to clean up and restore Moffett Field's wetlands will continue until the Navy removes toxics it placed on Site 25. We will work with NASA to plan and implement habitat restoration there, and secure public access on the Bay Trail that reconnects the people of Mountain View, Sunnyvale and surrounding cities to the Bay shoreline. David Lewis Executive Director Save The Bay

Students have right to privacy

Editor:

I am writing to voice my concern about military recruiting in our public schools.

While I support the troops and the rights of a volunteer military, I do not support institutionalizing involuntary recruitment practices. The No Child Left Behind Act gives the military the right to take private information about students without parental permission or notification.

This snooping into students' private lives needs to stop. There is an opt-out provision in the legislation, but rarely are students or parents informed of it.

I encourage students and parents all over our state to send a letter to their school's administrators, asking them to keep their information private. A sample form can be found at www.militaryfreezone.org/opt_out. Liz Cox Elena Avenue

Stevens Creek Trail's many friends

Editor:

Thanks for presenting Jon Wiener's informative article last week on Stevens Creek Trail ("The tail of a trail"). The city of Mountain View really has done an excellent job of developing it. Each additional segment added to the trail opens it up to more pedestrians and bicyclists who want a safe and healthy alternative to motor vehicles.

Mayor Matt Neely's confidence about future trail progress is encouraging, but people need to remember that it's not a sure thing. A great deal of work remains to finish the trail in Mountain View. Even more work is needed to extend the trail upstream in Sunnyvale, Los Altos, and Cupertino. Public support there is less certain and opposition remains significant against the trail.

Of many groups favoring the trail, only one is focused on extending and completing it -- the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail. This registered nonprofit organization has worked for 12 years to rally support and build consensus for the trail. Its members encourage all like-minded people who share the dream of a Stevens Creek Trail that extends all the way from the Bay to the mountains to get involved and help make it happen.

People who care about the trail can support it at a creek clean-up day, at the Trailblazer Race fundraiser, or by spreading the word about how great a local resource it is. More support is still needed to continue the trail upstream. See the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail Web site at www.stevenscreektrail.org. Aaron Grossman Dana Street

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