The Sunday letter in the Herald attacking Hans Dunshee was way off base. As an independent voter, good people of both major parties are friends of mine.
It is ironic that in the same issue of the Herald, a feature article on Heather Lake by Ashley Stewart appeared. Many people hike into alpine lakes not only for exercise but to fish for trout, and how do these trout get into Heather, Twenty-Two, Bear, Pinnacle, Evan, Boardman, South Ashland, Cowbell, Twin Falls, Canyon, and Kelcema lakes to name a few? People like me plant them or arrange for the plants. Dedicated sportsmen have toiled for years to enhance our beautiful county, and where do we get the trout? They come from the Arlington Hatchery at Cicero and the Tokul Creek Hatchery at Fall City.
The Wallace River Hatchery was built in 1907 and has produced millions of salmon for our enjoyment in the past 105 years. Sportsmen toiled for 11 years to build the Reiter Steelhead Ponds, (the backbone of our summer steelhead program today). And who has been keeping and improving these hatcheries? None other than Hans Dunshee, a tireless worker in behalf of the angling public. And what does this do for our economy? It produces millions of dollars for the tackle manufacturers, boat builders and other related industries. We need a new boat ramp in Snohomish as the old one is very dangerous. Who recently got us the money for a new one? Hans Dunshee. His “Jobs Bill” is the greatest thing to happen to sportsmen in my lifetime. Having served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club for the past 53 years and having planted thousands of fish, and having given Hans Dunshee field trips, I’m proud to have him as a friend. He listens to senior citizens like me! Vote for him.
Bob Heirman
Snohomish
