Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

TRAIL MACHINE ASSOCIATION, INC. Mr. Sterling. Senator McClure, ladies and gentlemen of the committee, my name is Wally Sterling. I am vice president of the Idaho Trail Machine Association. Our group has about 500 dues-paying members, but we represent over 25,000 trailbike enthusiasts here in Idaho. We are also hun ters, fishermen, and rock hounds. Furthermore, we are recreationists, conservationists, preservationists, and senior citizens. We are as anxious as anybody else that the question of addition al wilderness in the State of Idaho be resolved in such a manner as to gain the greatest value for everybody. We have here in Idaho almost 4 million acres of public lands designated as wilderness, and other prosposals are being made suggesting additions of as many as another 4% million acres. As far as I can determine, almost all interested parties have overlooked the one fact that, while it is Federal lands under discus sion, all of these lands are within the State of Idaho. We are not talking about wilderness designation for braska, Texas, Alaska, or Hawaii, or any to use all this additional wilderness? Or acres to exist used or unused just because lands in New York, Ne other State. Who is going are these several million they are there? This con cept is too idealistic to be practical. Much has been said about the person or persons who can cross the boundary and start to enjoy his, quote, wilderness experience, unquote. Are we to tie up and exclude from the multiple-use con cept another several million acres for those few people who own horses or wish to hike with the present boundaries? How many recreationists from Georgia, Illinois, Wyoming, or Alabama, will come to Idaho to enjoy the wilderness experience? A few, I imagine, but are they enough to make it necessary to add anotber several mil lion acres to the already existing 3.8 million acres of wilderness we already have? The most avid hiker or horseman could do this thing for the rest of his life and never see all of the roadless areas already existing here in Idaho. Senator McClure, you have lived in Idaho all your life, and I hope and trust that as you gather the facts that will help you make up your wilderness proposal, you will remember that 90 percent of its effects will be felt by your neighbors and friends here in Idaho. Thank you.