Editor, OBSERVER:

This is in regard to the OBSERVER’s editorial “Census: Numbers send another warning.” It stated, “As we shrink, corporations are taking their jobs to the places that are growing because that’s where they can find a steady supply of workers.”

The converse of this observation is that less developmental pressure is placed on agricultural land use in a county which has long been noted for its tremendous agricultural productivity on each acre farmed. This productivity is secondary to precipitation throughout the year and jiggered growing seasons (late in spring and extended in autumn) due to the temperature-moderating effect of prevailing westerly winds coming off Lake Erie.

A focus on agriculture in Chautauqua County takes on additional importance, given drought conditions in agricultural California which threaten to prevail for years.

MICHAEL C. BARRIS, Ph.D.,

Fredonia