Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Siddoway. Senator McClure, Senator Symms, I'm Jeff Siddoway, a sheep herder from Terreton. I'm director of the Idaho Woolgrower Association and a director of the Sawtell Chapter of Outdoors Unlimited. I'm chairman for the Grazing Advisory Board for the Targhee National Forest, all of which oppose any further wilderness for Idaho. I also believe we need no more wilderness in Idaho. I believe that those that advocate wilderness are a very self ish few who are against the whole productive mentality that has made the United States the best of all nations to live in, to work in, to vacation in. Those of us who are limited by either time or resources may still get to our Federal lands with a minimum of either to enjoy and learn from these lands. However, I believe a wilderness classification would revoke these privileges for many who desire to visit a specific location. I, too, am selfish and concerned for my neighbors as well as myself, Edberts, Tuckers, Engets, Davis, Phillips, Balls, Lairds, Nagles, McCulloch, and others who also graze sheep in these fur ther planning areas. We have all had sheep in these areas for gen erations. Siddoway sheep presently run 8,000 ewes with 12,500 lambs in these forest lands. We have fairly good access into Rauiey Creek and Smokey Hollow in Palisades. There are passable roads into Moose Creek, Phillips, and Green Mountain areas, which I use to supply our camps and check our sheep. In a wilderness situation, predator control is restricted, access is restricted, grazing would un doubtedly be restricted. Who knows how far or how many restric tions would eventually be imposed? To deviate here, it's also a nesting place for insects, pine needles, predators like the grizzly bear, and coyotes. Quite frankly, the sheep industry is in a very fragile state right now. Let's not let this wilderness deal be the straw that breaks the back of the sheepman. I need the Palisades Creek, Elk Creek, Moose Creek, Siddoway Fork, Pine Creek, Mosquito Creek, Dog Creek, Game Creek, Burbank, and Green Mountain, and Thousand Springs for my oper ation, while all my neighbors need equivalent land in the West Slope, Lionhead, and Palisades areas. As previously stated, we have had sheep in these mountains almost since the conception of the U.S. Forest Service. I'm generation No. 4, and No. 5 is beginning to learn right now. I hope we don't rob them of the opportunity to harvest the renewable resource and convert it to both food and 775 fiber. This country was beautiful when I first entered it 26 years still basically the same, with the exception of the seis mic mineral exploration. I support the ultra-soft-release language. If I understand this re lease garbage, everything that isn't classified wilderness will be managed as wilderness. If it takes an act to get it out of wilderness, the least it should do is to take an act to get it into wilderness. So I respectfully ask Senator McClure to inform your colleagues in Washington, D.C., that Idaho needs no more wilderness. Thank ago, and is you.