THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE PUBLIC FORUM             Saturday, March 1, 2003

 "The Don of Wildlife" (Tribune, Feb. 17) paints an interesting picture.  It says a lot about an impotent Utah Department of Wildlife Resources and an ethically challenged Legislature.  While Don Peay may be a "hero to hunters," he is hardly a "terror" to foes.  A more apt description would be "autocrat."  Peay decided to thwart majority rule when he pushed through Proposition 5 requiring a super majority vote on all wildlife ballot issues.

Hunters in Utah are a minority that declines steadily every year.  Fewer than 5 percent of Utah hunters support bear-baiting or hunting cougars with hounds, yet Peay spent nearly $1 million getting legislation passed to make sure these despicable activities remain legal in Utah.

According to the DWR's own polling, the vast majority of Utah's citizens deplore these inhumane behaviors. Peay caters to a small minority of trophy hunters who want to kill "certain" kinds of wildlife at any cost, including our voting rights.  It's surprising that The Tribune used so much ink glorifying a man who has so little respect for wildlife.  What motivates the Don is fear.  He is terrified of losing the "right" to persecute and kill wild animals.  In 2001, wildlife watchers spent $555 million in Utah, far more than hunters spent.

Peay knows that most people would rather have the experience of seeing a living animal than a dead one, so he resorted to unconstitutional methods to achieve his agenda.  It's only a matter of time before Prop 5 is overturned and his breed slowly dies out.

Denise Boggs, Executive Director, Utah Environmental Congress