Letters to the Editor - The Millerton News - 5-6-21

Reader encouraged by Tangled Lines column

I’ve been meaning to send this note to Mr. [Patrick] Sullivan [of The Lakeville Journal, whose column, “Tangled Lines,” often appears in The Millerton News], and am hoping you could forward it appropriately.

Dear Sir,

I’m writing in response to your article, “Fishing season sneaks up on us again,” of March 11, and to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I certainly don’t have the stable of fly rods you currently have but am truly impressed. My inventory amounts to a total of four: two really fast action Scott four weights and two beautiful R. L. Winston five weights that I use primarily for nymphing.

I grew up in Wassaic and was introduced to fly fishing when I was 8 and received a 9-foot fiberglass rod as a Christmas gift. At the time, I had no idea what 9 feet of fiberglass was for, but I found a guy by the name of Gil Recchia who lived just down the road by the creek who let me follow him around and practice losing every fly I had.  

Gil was a great teacher, super patient, and he always had an extra Royal Wulff or two when mine ended up in a bush on the other side of the creek.

I’ve been all over the country since then (courtesy of the USMC), and have been fortunate enough to make 16 years in a row fishing the incredible freestone waters in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. 

Each summer, I take two weeks to solo hike, camp out and fish the Madison, Slough, Soda Butte, Henry’s Fork (hard lessons here), Snake, Rock, Beaverhead and some amazing Spring Creeks in Paradise Valley. I’m already getting my gear ready for July.

I know this is way over due, but I kept your article handy as we juggle a big move back up to the D.C./North Virginia area. I hope this season is rewarding and look forward to seeing your results and lessons in a future article.

Semper Fi.

Lou Morse

Tampa, Fla.

Bill would end NY puppy mills

There’s important legislation in the works in Albany, which I hope will be supported by my friends and neighbors who care about the way animals are treated.

Here is an illustration of the cruelty of the “puppy mill” system: Somewhere in the Midwest, there’s a dog, one of hundreds, who will never know the love of a family. She was born and has lived her life in a small cage — she’s never seen a vet, never been able to play with other pups or feel grass under her paws. 

She’s always lived with nearby disease, and has been bred over and over to the point of illness. Her puppies are taken again and again, put on a truck and shipped east to New York, where families walk into a pet store and buy them without ever knowing the story of their parents.  

The reality is that most puppies sold in New York pet stores come from out-of-state puppy mills that do not care about their dogs’ wellbeing, and sell sick puppies to unsuspecting consumers. This is the Puppy Mill Pipeline. It’s past time that we end New York’s participation in this cruel industry by ending the retail sale of puppies in New York pet stores. 

Please join me in asking our lawmakers, State Senator Sue Serino (R-41) and State Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106) to support A.4283/S.1130, the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill, when it comes to a vote. Let’s shut down this pipeline and end the retail sale of cruelly bred puppies in New York pet stores for good.  

Diane B. Mattes

Millerton