Apologies to Matt for not being on this one quicker:

Tell importance of rain forest
I think that the editorial "Developments bode well for rain forest," July 10, and the Iowa press in general, fails to help the people of Iowa understand the efforts of a very few to build something, on a nonprofit basis, that will help everyone to be able to know what a rain forest is, why they are important to sustaining life on earth, what life was like in such forests for most of mankind's existence before the development of city/state, and what is now being lost both biologically and culturally from the planet at an unsustainable rate.

It is difficult to understand how people who care about their children, their children's children and beyond could not want to have, in their state, a nonprofit project singularly dedicated to helping their own children see, feel, smell and interact with an aspect of the planet that is critical to the survival of our species. Yet most published articles do not ever explain the what or the why of that which will be built. They concentrate instead on the political issues that seem inevitably to surround every effort to help Iowans recognize their inter-relationship with the natural world beyond Iowa.

As someone who has worked with Ted Townsend on the Great Ape Trust project, I have become familiar with the concerns of those who believe that no one could really think a rain forest will help Iowans learn to protect their own heritage as citizens of the world. Such skeptics therefore conclude that the "real agenda" of the project must be something that is not evident. This is sad for Iowa, as such skeptics might needlessly serve to prevent Iowans being able to benefit greatly from an educational experience not available elsewhere in the world.

Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
Des Moines

What I believe the author fails to see is that the issues concerning rainforest critics are not political, but economic. Of course it would be cool to have a rainforest in Iowa. Are you kidding me?

It would also be awesome to have an ocean with a set of tropical islands, some mountains, and maybe a redwood forest or two.

It would give our kids plenty of experience with other ecosystems and the natural world outside Iowa. I know I'd find my educational and recreational experiences highly enhanced by the ability to mountainbike, hike, scuba, and otherwise acquire the kind of hands-on interaction with these diverse environments. I can also personally guarantee that if we managed to build all these things, we would get tourists. Oh, yeah. We'd get tourists.

Unfortunately, it would cost more than the gross national product of many countries and makes zero sense fiscally-speaking.

Similarly, the money slotted for a fake indoor rainforest in Coralville would be better served elsewhere. The numbers that have been used to support the idea that the fake rainforest will be self-supporting and not a drain on taxpayers are flawed. Others have suggested that it would be more economical to establish a preserve in a real rainforest, and then either flying students down there, or upgrading the interactive capabilities of our school's computers to allow them to virtually link and explore "their" preserve.

The fact it's a really cool opportunity for the kids simply doesn't stand up to the reality that it will also be a financial drain on all of us. The money would be better spent elsewhere - and that has nothing to do with politics.