Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Allen. Thank you. The areas we are considering today are our weekend hiking and fishing retreats, the places a few hours' drive from population cen ters such as Boise, the areas available to anyone. On the matter of cost of wilderness experience, let me point out that a backpack and a sturdy pair of boots are a lot cheaper than any motorized vehicle. I'm sure you have been told earlier in the hearings that only those with truly superior strength can partake of the wilderness. I'm a 120-pound weakling, in school always the last person chosen to be on anyone's athletic team. I have terrible knees, and two surgeries to prove it. But I discov ered there is one form of exercise I can enjoy. I can put one foot in front of the other. This is called walking, and if you do it in the wilderness, it is called hiking. If done while carrying a pack, it is called backpacking. Let's talk about the economic value of wilderness. Take McCall, for example, the town that was supposed to die when its outmoded sawmill was closed. Try buying groceries at Shavers, the local market, on a Saturday, and as you stand tenth in line, look around you and observe all those tourists buying merchandise. A healthy forest that can supply us with a good watershed for agriculture, clean streams for fish to thrive in, habitat for game and nongame wildlife, and solitude for people will be an economic asset to us forever. Hiking in a clearcut is about as esthetically pleasing as golfing at the city dump. I urge you in your legislation to allow at least 50 percent of Idaho's remaining 6.5 million acres of roadless land to be classified wilderness. Included in this should be the 10-area endangered Idaho wilderness core, especially the Payette Crest region. During my frequent hikes there I am always amazed and thank ful that such beautiful lakes and vistas are available so close by. I oppose hard release. There is plenty of sold, uncut timber in Idaho now. As we consider how much less Idaho wilderness we will pass along to future generations than was left for our use and pleasure, let us strive not to go down in history as the greedy generation,