Dear Editor,
Certain persons in heightened emotional states, have chose to slander individuals making an effort to effect change for the common good of our entire Walker Lake Community by applying social media such as Facebook and in so much making verbal threats – even to the point of violence. These strategies will not bring anything into our community that is positive or permanent.
Others seem to fear the word “change”! The word “change” does not mean: requiring neighbors to paint their houses a certain color, nor does it mean being critical of residents using golf carts, ATV’s and scooters to get around in a community with steep hills and out-of-the-way mail boxes. For many here, it is a struggle to even walk.
There is an insinuation that there has been an invasion of “Californians imposing “Californian rules” upon us and that they have formed a “click” called the Walker Lake Advisory Board [WLAB].
The WLAB are individuals, many who have come from other areas as well; who they are, how they view the world, the values they support, these newer residents of Walker Lake have made individual choices to try to correct some of the long misused codes and regulatory violations in this small community. This is not the definition of a “click”.
The original effort to form an advisory board bought much interest in this community and awareness that some changes need to be made. Changes need to be made, not by defending our own individual reasons as to why “I moved here to escape” but rather to do what we need to fix some long neglected problems like abandoned trailers and the dumping of individual raw sewage in the closest dry wash.
One problem of concern is that all of us have old septic systems, which allow fast percolation through the stratus to the lake. There are new technologies that address this septic problem. We need to look into these technologies to mediate this problem in future septic systems and thus helping to sustain the lake’s future as well.
There has been a turning point towards the restoration of the lake. This will be compounded by the fact that there is a reasonable chance that our lake will one day and once again see fishing derby’s, boat races, BBQ’s and 4th of July celebrations.
Living here, enjoying and doing the right thing for ourselves and this high desert lake – that’s what this is all about.
With this will come interest, by many people, in this town called Hawthorne and its little contingent community of Walker Lake just to the north.
USA Parkway will give a boost by making it a fast and easy to access to the lake to recreate and possibly even move or retire here. These people will be motivated by the lake and community spirit. And we need to forego a hasty scramble in the future to deal with change and not be overpowered by it.
How do these things happen? Because enough of us have chosen to try to make a change beginning with choices to enforce the existing health regulations, along with joining together in common intention.
During this process, we may have goals, but must not have cherished outcomes and we must make our private selves consistent with our public postures. Being human we do not always have the integrity and ability to do it right, but we must at least try.
As individuals we can make a difference just by your individual choices, attitudes and intentions. When you actively join with others working for a common goal, it is truly possible to create a better more life-affirming community.
It’s kind of like living with porcupines… they live together for an average of 5-7 years, but they don’t use their quills on each other.
Respectfully,
Georgia Kaye Manes
Walker Lake
