Dear editor,
A recent article in the Daily Press covered a draft bill in the U.S. Senate that would protect parts of the Gila and San Francisco rivers as Wild and Scenic. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich should be commended for not only proposing this legislation, but also for naming it after our beloved writer, Dutch Salmon.
The legislation would permanently protect nearly 450 miles of the Gila and San Francisco in their free-flowing condition, so it makes sense for the bill to be named after one of the most resilient defenders of these rivers and their main tributaries. Dutch protected our rivers throughout his life, and the legacy he left continues to have an impact on our community. What a fitting and long lasting tribute to Dutch Salmon.
I look forward to the new visitors these designations will attract to the Silver City area — visitors who will inevitably become new customers at local businesses like mine.
(s)Diana Ingalls Leyba Silver City