Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Fair water rule #1293?

I have been following this story avidly. We recently bought property in Pahrump that closed on January 2, 2018 and did not find out about this rule until we started calling well drillers a week later.

What I am curious about is how the state water department informed the public about this new rule. How and when did well drillers and Realtors find out about this?

It might be helpful to publish a timeline about the water situation in Pahrump, including the Pahrump Water Board, the State Water Department and when this event was made known to the public.

Thank you.

Laurel Hickinbotham

Animal rescue director clarifies definitions

On January 17, 2018 your newspaper published an article about West Star Ranch Animal Rescue. I would like to clarify a few points that I believe should have been addressed in the article. First, the article states that West Star Ranch is an animal shelter that has been in operation for more than two decades în Pahrump.

By definition, West Star Ranch is actually an animal rescue, not an animal shelter. According to Nye County Code Title 6, an animal shelter is defined as “Any place designated by the county for the confinement of animals in the custody of the county pursuant to the provisions of this title.”

Likewise, an animal rescue is defined as “An establishment owned or operated by a licensed profit or nonprofit organization whose primary function is to provide temporary care and comfort to animals.”

An animal sanctuary is “An establishment owned or operated by a licensed profit or nonprofit organization whose primary function is to provide lifetime care and comfort to animals.”

I am addressing this error due to the fact that many citizens of the community may misunderstand the difference and bring stray animals that are found to West Star Ranch. According to Nye County Code, stray or found animals should only be brought to the animal shelter owned by Nye County, which is currently operated by Desert Haven Animal Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding safe, permanent homes for animals in need. In the case of an animal going missing, the owners usually check with the animal shelter to see if his or her animal has been brought in. When stray animals are brought to other facilities, rescues, etcetera, it is much more difficult to reunite these animals with their families. Unfortunately, this has happened on several occasions in the recent past.

Thank you for covering this story and highlighting the need for the care of homeless animals. When we all work together, we can be even more successful in reuniting, rehoming and otherwise caring for the wonderful animals in our community.

Sincerely,

Miranda Taylor

Director of Operations

Desert Haven Animal Society

No conspiracy involved

in jet contrails

The following comments are to the letter submitted by Ms. Vinikow. She believes that jet aircraft are spraying toxic materials that are hazardous to our health. She says that research will reveal this decades-long program as dangerous to human health and welfare.

This is one of an older conspiracy and has no basis to it. The Merriam Webster dictionary states: “contrails – an artificial cloud created by an aircraft caused by water vapor in the engine exhaust.” There is nothing else to it. Contrails can vary in width and length depending on altitude, outside temperature, and type of engine.

In a combat zone it is best to find an altitude without contrails since those alert ground artillery of your presence.

In friendly flight areas the contrail helps the pilot’s awareness of nearby traffic.

John Davis