Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Senator Crystal. Thank you, Senator McClure, and I apologize for being late. My remarks this morning will be around the prohlem of changing land use and how it affects the county and State government. I'm Vearl Crystal, State senator, District 20; this dis trict comprises Jefferson, Clark, Lemhi, and Custer Counties. I am opposed to any further wilderness designation to Idaho forest lands, and especially in Custer and Lemhi Counties. Any change in land use, private or Federal, has the potential of econom ic impact on county government as well as State government. Custer County has 2,944,531 acres of federally owned land; this is 93.3 percent of the total land area of the county. Only a 154,778 acres is privately owned land, or 4.9 percent of the total area. The other 1.8 is owned by the State, county, and cities. Lemhi County is very similar to Custer County with 90 Vfe percent of the land owned by the Federal Government and 8 percent pri vately owned. Custer County has been impacted greatly by the purchase of 800 subdivided lots by the Sawtooth National Recreation Area from 1974 to 1980. This sale removed these valuable properties from the property tax base of Custer County. The scenic easement for pur chase also reduced the taxable value. Custer County is operating on warrants and tax anticipation notes at the present time because of the frozen budgets and in creasing costs. Any further deterioration of their tax base or nega tive economic impact could seriously curtail necessary services to county residents. School funds have also been negatively impacted in Custer and Lemhi Counties because of the reduction in 874 Federal funds. These funds are obtained from multiple-use forests: Federal em ployees, reservations, stumpage, and grazing fees. Any further re duction in multiple-use forests, because of wilderness designation, would further erode the revenue from these sources and subse quently impact our public schools. I think, with proper management, we can maintain our forests for multiple use and still preserve their esthetic values and retain the use of these natural resources for all people, not for just a fa vored few, if it is locked up in a wilderness designation. Thank you, Senator.