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A gun-swapping solution

Thank you for the article ''A Guns-For-Nature Swap Being Tested in California,'' Aug. 17. After dealing for more than five years with the Endangered Species Act, many of us in western Riverside County are applauding the land swap at March Air Force Base.

One of the few points of consensus among local interest groups is that the United States government must play a more fiscally responsible role in species and habitat protection.

We see the land swap as a solution for a region where private property owners have footed the $30 million-plus bill for the conservation of the Stephens's Kangaroo Rat, a federally listed endangered species.

This kind of thinking demonstrates that we can look beyond federal handouts and move toward a creative use of our federal resources.

Kristi Lovelady Riverside, Calif.

Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency