Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

FLY FISHERMEN Mr. Brown. Thank you, Senator McClure, Congressman Craig. On behalf of the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen, my name is Mark Brown. I'm the current president of the club, representing some 125 members in the Boise area. Our membership is concerned with the wilderness issues. It af fects the quality of fisheries and habitat in many of these wilder 443 ness areas. Our membership enjoys both the roadless areas and those that are accessible by roads as they relate to fisheries. We feel, however, that the number of true blue ribbon trout streams will continue to decline if they are not protected. There are two specific areas that we would like to state our comments on at this time. One is the Danskin, South Fork of the Boise River. The other is the Hoodoo Great Burn Area, in the Clearwater National Forest, comprising the Kelly Creek, Cayouse Creek and Toboggan Creek Drainage. These areas have outstanding fisheries as well as wildlife resources. First of all, the Danskin, South Fork of the Boise, roadless area. The South Fork of the Boise River below Anderson Ranch Dam has been a pet project for the Boise Fly Fishermen since 1976 when hatchery trout were no longer introduced into the stream. We've done considerable work to provide spawning habitat and have worked harder to strive for special fishing regulations to insure a quality trout stream. Our club, in addition to many other concerned groups, has joined forces to make sure the minimum stream flows would be insured and that such destructive concerns as dredge mining would not be allowed in the pristine stream. It is a rare resource to have a stream such as the South Fork of the Boise River existing within such a short distance of our capital city. Some of the major spawning streams for the South Fork exist in the Danskin, South Fork of the Boise, roadless area. The terrain in this area is steep and contains few timber re sources. We feel this area is critical to insure trout spawning habi tat for this great stream and would recommend that this area should exist in a wilderness state. The Hoodoo Great Burn Area, Clearwater National Forest. The wilderness status of the Kelly Creek, Cayouse Creek and Toboggan Creek Drainage is a pricely resource as well.