Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Roberts. I'm Hadley Roberts and I live in Salmon. I'm a pro fessional wildlife biologist. Until recently I retired from the U.S. Forest Service after 32 years of Federal service, and the last 12 of which were a wildlife biologist on the Salmon and Challis National Forest. I've come today to talk about the North Lemhi and West Big Hole bowls. Those are the two I have the most knowledge of, based mostly on past jobs and hundreds of hours, or I should say days, backpacking, fishing and hunting in the two areas. I have a lot of background information which I don't have time to read, but I would like to go into what has happened recently in the Lemhis. The Salmon National Forest started logging in the area about 15 years ago. They started with a series of sales on the lower slopes at the edge of the sagebrush, cutting many of the small patches and stringers of important big game cover. Since then they have gradu ally worked up the slope. The Forest Service cut over these low timber productivity lands using mainly a shelterwood system which, according to silviculture books, should produce tree regen eration. This has proved to be false, as the method has been a com plete failure in the Lemhi Range and many other parts of the Salmon and Challis National Forest where Douglas fir has been logged. Areas cut within the last 15 years still have no more trees now than on the day they were logged. Hundreds of miles of roads have been constructed to haul out low grade logs. Nearly all of these roads are still open to travel. I know of only one successful attempt by the Forest Service to close roads in the area adjacent to the Lemhis. That closure resulted about a year ago only after a great pressure from the public and Idaho Department of Fish and Game. These traveled logging roads disturb big game animals and cause them to avoid the roads and a wide band adjacent to it. In addition, the constructed roads usually 32-426 0 —84 44 682 lead into a proliferation of four-wheel drive trails which radiate from the constructed road, causing further disturbance. What does this mean? The most serious impacts of logging and roading have been to the big game species. Reduction of hiding cover and high open road densities have caused mule deer and elk to abandon traditional areas and move higher up the slope. The end result is a shrinking land base of critical habitat and a reduc tion of carrying capacity. The current Salmon National Forest 5-year timber action plan shows that this trend will continue, with more sales being planned for critical summer range areas. The overall effect is obvious. Habi tat potential will continue to decline, which will eventually precipi tate a sharp decline in animal numbers, with a special emphasis on elk. Local ranchers have voiced their concerns to the Forest Service about these sales, but they have reached only deaf ears. Because of this indifference to their concerns, I understand an appeal is being prepared for one of the sales currently being offered. Many resi dents of the Lemhi Valley have sen enough cutting and roading in the Lemhi Range. They enjoy their present lifestyle which includes the lack of manmade intrusions. An increasing number feel that a wilderness classification is the only way to protect these values. I have a little bit more on the West Big Hole. This has not been impacted as the Lemhi Range, but it will be in the future. There are no plans for timber sales within the next 5 years in the West Big Hole proposal, but I'm sure it is to come. I am favoring that the Lemhi Range be put in the Idaho wilder ness bill, and also that the West Big Hole be placed in the Mon tana wilderness legislation.