Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Simmonds. Thank you. This is just a philosophical statement. I will submit specific recommendations. 549 A strong inventory of wilderness serves to help correct one of the fatal flaws of the human species. That is, that we learn from our mistakes very poorly, especially because conflicting interests tend to cloud our judgment. The wilderness inventory must be part of the collective memory of humanity just as it is part of the memory of the Earth itself. It is not a potentially replaceable commodity such as commercial timber. I believe it is a crime against humanity and a crime against the Earth to destroy any part of our vanishing racial memory for profit. In the case of the wilderness parcels in question, which I am familiar, there is no visible and compelling reason aside from profit for violating their integrity and, in fact, sanctity. Therefore, I protest and condemn any plan, policy or proposed legislation which would open, for economic reasons, any of the de facto wilderness and roadless area for multiple use. The proposed wilderness bill now being researched by Senator McClure's commit tee seems like an attempt by industry lobbyists to make available to industry a resource wilderness to which it has no right. This is a vestige of the manifest destiny mentality which is in large part re sponsible for the advanced state of decay of the global environment and the decline of the quality of life in general, and humanity in particular. There will always be times when a decision must be made to choose between the preservation of resources and human needs. There will be times when human needs will take precedence for ap propriate reasons. In this case, the priority is obvious. The shortterm profit loses out to our basic responsibility to protect ourselves, through the protection of the primordial resources of our environ ment, wilderness.