To the Editor:
Hats off to Staff Writer Alex Perri for her excellent piece,”Trout in Crisis: Climate Change Adds to the Strain on a Mountain Economy,” in the October 28 edition of the The Smoky Mountain News. I especially appreciate her willingness to use those two words: climate change.
Yes, climate change does indeed play a role in disrupting one of our most valuable local industries: trout. Alex’s insights are spot on. While we continue to recognize the destructive effects of traditional weather patterns, we must also acknowledge the well-established scientific fact — not a hoax — that climate change compounds their impact. Our own complicity is an uncomfortable place to roost, but it can also be a launching pad from which we seek solutions. We are smart enough to do just that. And let’s face it: Playing ostrich isn’t cool.
