Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Behm. My name is Roberta Behm. I was raised in Boundary County, and after 20 years of travel as an Army wife I returned to Bonners Ferry to live 10 years ago, partly because it's such a—it's home, and partly because in all my 20 years of travel I never found any place more beautiful and scenic than northern Idaho. But I speak now as the wife of a logger, and in favor of multiple use, no more wilderness, and no more studies, please. In these economic stressful times, I would point out that one— what one of the prowilderness editorials referred to as a paltry amount of timber that is available in Long Canyon could provide jobs for an estimated 170 men—my husband’s logging crew—10 months out of the year for probably 5 years. I have visited areas of the county that were previously logged by my husband’s crews. Travel on roads built by loggers into areas are no less beautiful because they had been logged. Wildlife does abound, and if I venture 20 feet from the logging road there's enough wilderness already regrowing to convince me that a well managed harvest can produce a new forest to be enjoyed by everyone. Thank you.