Editor: My candidates for columnist Diane Sayre’s “Stupid Bag” are:

1. Enviromental reviews that do not include water. Is water not a part of the environment?

2. The Endangered Species Act. Man’s needs are not included.

3. California Department of Fish and Game. They go all out to get rid of predators that might get into the Delta (i.e. northern pike from Lake Davis and white bass from Lake Kawaeh and the Tulare Lake bottom), while openly promoting a population of non-native predatory striped bass.

4. I would also put the U.S. Department of the Interior in the “Stupid Bag” for not installing fish ladders at Friant Dam when they were supposed to be part of the original project, and the opening of the gates to send water down the San Joaquin River supposedly for salmon. (Without the fish ladders, this is an empty gesture as the river below Friant is too warm for salmon to breed).

5. The nation’s marine fisheries for not enjoining DFG from their protection of striped bass which eat loads of salmon fry in their attempt to make it to the ocean.

6. I would also put the Secretary of the Interior in there for his statement that this is due to a drought, while it is totally man-made. We had 87 percent of rainfall while less than 10 percent of water was delivered.

John Bartlett

Hanford