Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Hardy. Yes, Garney Hardy. Because I am not able as part of my job to spend time collecting data and organizing it to support my views, I am going to speak in more general terms as a resident of Idaho who is concerned about the direction we are taking. From some testimony one would assume the timber industry is Idaho's largest, almost only, industry. Timber alone should not de termine Idaho's future. There is a large supply of sold, uncut timber. The housing industry is in a slump and recent rises in the prime indicate that the lower interest rates necessary for recovery are not going to happen soon. There has not been a lot of mention of the need to protect the land, particularly in its function as watershed. The trees will grow back in places, the game will probably return, but silted streams will not recover and eroded land cannot be replaced. In so much of the area under discussion no oil and gas have been found; the timber is of marginal quality, the topography is rugged and the soil erodes easily. To argue that designation of an area as wilderness causes it to be more heavily used proves that we in fact have insufficient wilder ness areas. The demand is there and it is hoped that Idaho will be spared the destruction caused by the pursuit of the almighty dollar that has ruined California and Colorado. 678 We are apparently willing to spend million of dollars and use large quantities of natural resources to build football stadiums, bowling alleys, and shopping centers. To spend a portion of our re sources by not using them seems to be considered a sacrilege. One suspects that the Reagan administration is against the designation of new wilderness areas because its major constituency, the busi ness community, has been unable to find a way to make wilderness as profitable as football. I support wilderness designation for the areas specified in the Endangered Idaho Core. In addition, I support wilderness designa tion for areas I know personally, the Boulder-White Clouds, the Garns Mountain, Palisades, and the Pioneers. These are already popular areas, heavily used for recreation, where development would not be compatible with established use. Palisades and Garns Mountain are closest unroaded, undeveloped areas to the urban centers of Idaho Falls and Pocatello. They are extremely popular with hikers, hunters, horseback riders, and fisherman. A popula tion center in an area where people are outdoor oriented needs to have close-by wilderness to satisfy the recreational needs of the residents. INEL contractors are among the largest employers in this State. In order to attract the qualified employees they need to come to Idaho, the quality of life in Idaho, including the opportuni ties for wilderness recreation, are stressed in their recruiting. This should also be taken into account. If I wanted to make a large salary, I would not stay in Idaho. I'm here because of the quality of life. Last, I feel there is no need to freeze up forever from wilderness designation, lands which are not so designated now. Thank you.