Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Uranga. Senator McClure, Congressman Craig, my name is Louis Uranga and I reside in Boise, born and raised in Owyhee County, native Idahoan. I have some familiarity with some of the lands in question, pri marily because by father was a foreman for a sheep outfit and they ran their sheep through much of this country. Scott Mountains, Deadwood, Boise River, and north of there. In 1970 to 1973 I was a smoke jumper out of McCall and got to fly over most of this country and from — the next 2 years I was a smoke jumper in Boise and throught most of the Boise forest and points east. I think that I should only address those area of which I'm famil iar and I will just point them out. The French Creek drainage, from my observation in being in that area, I think that it's a criti cal area because of the drainage into the Salmon River. The forest and the ground supply or grasses there would indicate to me that it has limited value for forestry or grazing. I think that it is a prime location for preservation and I would recommend pres ervation of that area. I was somewhat surprised to see that Scott Mountain is consid ered for a wilderness area because I spent considerable time there and there's quite a few roads in there already. But I believe that retaining that area, what's left of it, would be beneficial to the elk and deer herds. Finally, just Red Mountain. It think it's a prime recreational area for people of this area and I think its uses otherwise are very limited. And I could recommend that they be included in the wilderness area. Thank you.