Martin Litton

* Your most welcome account of the life work of Martin Litton (“The Old Man and the River,” May 11) fittingly highlighted one important aspect of the life of this remarkable man. Your staff writer deserves special commendation for following Litton to places to which the average person would never venture.

Your story, however, might well have made mention of Litton’s piloting of his own plane, taking aerial photographs of the devastation of our nation’s forest resources. Some of Litton’s photographs reveal illegal harvesting of timber by the logging industry; others simply reveal the shortsighted and ill-advised harvesting policies of the U.S. Forest Service.

Litton does not simply look the part of an Old Testament prophet. His is a powerful voice in both words and deeds of our failure as good stewards of the land. No prophet brings a more vital call to conservation.

ROBERT HAAGE

Montclair

* It’s hard to decide which is more wondrous: Litton’s achievement or John Balzar’s writing. What a story. I lingered over every word. For 20 minutes I was on the Colorado River myself, barreling over rapids and fearing for my life--but I got to stay dry the whole time. As I read the article again, and then clipped it out so that my kids could enjoy it, I reflected on the fact--and not for the first time--that The Times truly is one of Southern California’s great bargains.

LENI FLEMING

Ojai