Editor:

For the past couple of years, I have partnered with other parents to help with the Chatham Boy Scouts’ benefit fundraiser of collecting Christmas trees in January. At a recent meeting, the Scouts wrote a handful of thoughtful notes thanking some of the individuals and businesses who supported the activity which this year benefits the Chatham Angel Fund and the Family Pantry of Cape Cod.

The fundraiser was widely supported by the community. This is likely not a surprise to your readers and the troop does not take it for granted. In general, there are repeat participants, some whose neighbors joined in this year, and other new addresses on the list; shops and restaurants posted flyers; and tree-selling businesses mentioned the fundraiser to customers. Specifically, the town consistently backs scouting programs in Chatham, as does The Chronicle (one-third of participants report hearing about the tree pick up through town communications or The Chronicle!). Literally, the heavy lifting is done by the Scouts and volunteer drivers — dads, grandpas, and uncles with access to trucks and trailers.

A benefit I receive from the fundraiser is seeing Scout spirit expressed throughout the process. Thank you all!

Judy Carlson
Chatham

Editor:

Regarding the Jan. 22 story “With Each Year’s Research Comes A Better Understanding Of White Sharks:”

Research has taught us that each shark is a unique individual, playing a vital role in maintaining the balance of our planet’s biosphere.

Older than dinosaurs, sharks have been around even longer than trees (100 million years longer!). Intelligent, complex animals — and capable of feeling pain — sharks’ biggest survival threat are human beings. Millions of these fascinating animals are killed every year. And due to overfishing, shark populations have declined by 70 percent in the past 50 years, even though they are imperative for healthy oceans.

Balancing our fragile aquatic ecosystem means reevaluating our treatment of sharks. Every animal is someone. 

Scott Miller, research specialist, fishing and waterways
The PETA Foundation

Editor:

I just read Ryan Bray’s story about Alex Fitch and her connection to my home town of New Orleans (“How Orleans Is Rethinking Public Health,” Jan. 23). Reading about Ms. Fitch’s career in public health and how she was influenced by her time in New Orleans was inspiring. And it’s easy to see that she truly cares about her community. 

There was something else that caught my eye, though — the references to Hurricane Katrina. The very first sentence begins “When Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005.” Another sentence reads “…after the storm devastated the city…”

The problem here is that this perpetuates the false idea that the devastation was caused solely by Katrina, that the hurricane alone caused New Orleans to be under water for weeks. 

The reality is that my city flooded because the flood protection system, designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, failed to do its job. It took years for the Corps to own up to its mistake, but they eventually did. In reaction to that, in 2023 the Associated Press issued an alert to its reporters to always note that “levee failures played a major role in the devastation in New Orleans.” 

I realize the two sentences about Hurricane Katrina are a small part of the story about Ms. Fitch, but she was obviously affected by the devastation. Those of us who live here still deal with what happened, and it’s important that everyone knows the truth — the 2005 flood was an historic and tragic event that wasn’t an act of nature.

Linda Kocher
New Orleans

Editor:

In the aftermath of the California wildfires, we need to get more serious about addressing global warming, which increases the risk of such disasters. Among other things, our political leaders should support more public funding for cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from livestock cells, without slaughter.

Animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. While the technology is still being developed, scientists believe cultivated meat will require a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions that raising and slaughtering livestock does. Anyone who cares about preventing future disasters should support development of the revolutionary protein.

Jon Hochschartner
Granby, Conn.

Editor:

The Jan. 9 story regarding several racially tinged bullying incidents at Nauset Regional Middle School raises some difficult questions. The district claims that “instances of bullying and ‘cyberbullying’ have dropped dramatically this year,” and we certainly hope that is true. At the very least, they should be transparent about that claim with the community — are the number of cases actually going down or just the reporting of them? It is a fair question to ask when there are allegations of staff members being let go in part or because of their insistence on the racial bullying being addressed by the building principal. And finally, shockingly, the question of where and when during the school day could students “stage a mock slave auction” without the adults in the building being aware? A mock “slave auction” has absolutely no place in a middle school and by the very fact that it happened, Nauset’s claim to care about every student and to value student safety is called into question. 

Nauset Regional School District is on the cusp of hiring a new superintendent. We urge all members of the search and hire committee to carefully consider and to thoroughly question the candidates about their views regarding equity and inclusivity in the district. We all benefit when all students feel safe and welcome allowing them to focus on learning and becoming responsible and productive citizens.

Karen Boujoukos, chair
MLK Action Team