Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Keenan. My respect to you, Senator and Congressman. First let me begin by saying that I understand that you two gen tlemen must consider a national constituency. There are a lot of people outside of Idaho who are also very concerned about the wild life in this area. 348 I am a native, and I'm going to talk to you about the State today. As you know, the whole economy of Idaho is based on natural re sources. And last year the Idaho State Legislature struggled for months to try to balance their budget and fund education with a shrinking tax base and with the endowment lands for the State which go to education shrinking to almost half in some cases be cause of environmental concerns. With the recession and with our shrinking land base, hard times fell hard on Idaho during this recession, so the economy of the State is something that must be seriously considered with wilder ness. I own a T-shirt that says — it's really cute; it says, Idaho is what America was. And I think that's true. Idaho retains a certain amount of fron tier atmosphere and old fashioned charm. It's beautiful and pris tine. And a lot of people come here and say, I want that old-fashionedness for my children. I want them to know that there is someplace still left that's old-fashioned, like Idaho. And I want that for my children, too. I grew up here and would like to give that to them. Oftentimes when we get a new puppy or a new kitten, they are so charming and they are so cute, we think, well, if there was just some way we could make the puppy stay a puppy. The only way we can do that is to somehow take away the dynamic life of the puppy and preserve its body. I think perhaps this additional proposal of wilderness will do just that. Idaho, as any other State, has just as much right to grow just as the puppy has the right to grow and to be a dog. And that if you continue to take more wilderness throughout the years, you will be preserving the body and making it harder and harder for the citi zens of the State of Idaho to continue to grow. Life is dynamic. It must grow, and so must the State. Thank you.