Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Carlson. Hello. Getting advice from my wife I want to thank you, Senator McClure, and I'm very grateful to be here with you and Mr. Craig. I would like to ask for wilderness consideration of the following area. The identity is south Boise and Yuba River, RARE II area. It joins the Sawtooth wilderness on the south. Elevations vary from about 5,000 to 10,000 feet. We, that is, my wife and I, backpack into this area with junior high students from the Methodist church. In fact, we did some of that last week with about 16 kids, on some of their first backpack ing trips. It is a beautiful area with rugged mountain peaks, beautiful lakes to fish, mule deer to watch. Vegetation is white bark pine, sub-alpine fir habitat type with a few Engelman spruce in the stream bottoms and on wet situation. The white bark pine grows to timberline and often is deformed or stunted by wind, cold or draught. Undergrowth vary consider 421 ably and range from Idaho fescue on exposed sites to elk sedge and dwarf huckleberry on moderate sites. Solids are formed from south batholith granites being sandy loams and the loams. These habitat sites are very low timber po tential. Forage can only sustain light wildlife grazing. The important use is water. This water production for the Boise area and the irrigated lands in Canyon County. Only the lower slopes adjacent to these areas and below 5,000 feet have Douglas fir and lodge pole pine and with very careful management could be logged. I, as a retired forester, would recom mend that the capabilities of this area be examined very thorough ly for wilderness designation to maintain watershed values. In conclusion, I believe all our land should be examined accord ing to its capabilities and this is the reason I'm against the pro posed release of all lands not now designated wilderness without further study. [Bell.] Mr. Carlson. Thank you.