In response to Mr. Matorian's comments in the front-page article (Dec. 18) regarding the retirement of Willie Molini, Wildlife chief:

I have never blamed Molini for not drawing a tag, but I do blame the Wildlife Commission for its failure to support the sportsmen's views and their lack of an aggressive stance with regard to the exploding cougar population, which is decimating our deer herds.

With regard to Mr. Matorian's comments about Mr. Lent: Matorian may not like Lent and that's OK, but someone had better speak up for the sportsmen of Nevada, because the Wildlife Commission apparently doesn't care about them. Until the sportsmen of Nevada come together collectively and bring pressure to bear on the Legislature to allow sportsmen to have a voice in the management of our wildlife resources, we, and our wildlife, will continue to suffer at the hands of "government function." Politics should not have a place in the management of our wildlife resources.

The sportsmen of Nevada are the ones who bear the financial and moral responsibility for management of our wildlife resources and we are not getting our money's worth. John L. Beeghly, Reno

Reprinted from the Reno Gazette-Journal, December 28, 1997