“I am afraid that it is all but impossible for me to express an objective opinion on this subject, seeing as how my family lost a beloved Doberman to a neighbor’s coyote trap last July.

And while I will be the first to say that Este and her ‘sister’ should have simply stayed home, I will also say that I have lived in Rice Hill for nearly six years now, and have had the pleasure of seeing a plethora of local wildlife, and even the occasional tourist who missed the exit for the rest area. Yet I have yet to hear of or cross paths with the local coyotes or cougars.

That being said, I believe that any type of predator trap or poison only reflects laziness on the part of humans. With the invention of satellite systems such as Google Earth, traps and poison should be obsolete by now.

Liberal politicians would have us believe that firearms are dangerous in and of themselves, yet guns rarely ever fire unless somebody pulls the trigger. Traps and poisons, however, are blind.

I will concede that predators can be problematic, but then so can be innocent casualties. A coyote or cougar problem can probably be solved by a thermos of coffee, a shotgun, and the willingness to stay up late; a neighbor who comes across a trap can buy you a lawsuit.”

<b>Alex Duvaul, sophomore</b>
<i>Home School, Rice Hill</i>


“Predator poison is a very touchy subject, especially in Oregon where there is an abundance of wild animals in our forests, and an equally large number of livestock owners in the area.

Obviously no livestock owner has the wish for their animals to be killed by predators. It’s a loss of time, money, and effort on their part that takes a toll on their livelihood. But the view I’ve taken on this subject is that upon deciding to raise livestock, they knew the downside that could go along with it as well as the benefits.

It doesn’t seem right to endanger domestic animals that are, in some cases, as close as family members in households, let alone putting a human life (largely a child’s life) in harm’s way. In the end, it seems best that predator poisons be banned until a less haphazard way is put into use.”

<b>Megan Matthews, junior </b>
<i>Riddle High School</i>


“Let’s start off with the basics. Predator poison is a stake filled with, you guessed it, poison (sodium cyanide). When touched the stake explodes and shoots the cyanide all over the animal/human that touched it. Typically, if an animal touched it, it would usually be coyotes, foxes and/or wolves. It is reported that these devices have killed 14,000 wild animals in 2006. Seems to work? But what are these stakes protecting — sheep and other livestock. It seems to be quite a useful device to protect these valuable animals.

But in the case of Dennis Slaugh these devices are life threatening, especially after one exploded in his face when he touched one. So, the question stands, ‘Should predator poison be banned?’ And I say, nay (No).

Why? Because in the long run these devices are protecting a pretty hefty investment (livestock). And without these types of precautions, the livestock business would seriously suffer. You might say, ‘We’re tampering with the food chain!’ Well, we are, and that’s the way it goes.

Truly the only precaution that should be taken is the warning of humans and what these devices look like. This way mistakes won’t happen. And with the power of knowledge, people won’t go touching every stake they see. I know now I won’t be touching any stakes, even milepost markers could be disastrous.”

<b>Zachary McKinney, sophomore </b>
<i>Roseburg High School



Truth of Youth, which appears in Monday’s News-Review, is an opportunity for teens to express their opinions. If you would like to submit a question, write to Teresa Williams at P.O. Box 1248, Roseburg, OR 97470 or e-mail twilliams@newsreview.info.</i>