Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Canterbury. I wish to thank Senator McClure for this opportunity to present my views before the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee hearing. I will confine my testimony to the Mallard-Larkins Pioneer area. I have hunted, fished, hiked, and backpacked in this area since 1945. First witb my father and now with my son and nephew. The Mallard-Larkins area has many unique qualities. It has an extensive trail system and contains many beautiful mountain lakes and clear running streams with excellent fishing. It is also the backbone of both the Clearwater and St. Joe elk and deer herds as the animals migrate from this area into adjacent areas. There are many rocky peaks and bluffs that support one of the finest goat herds in Idaho. The ridges and draws in most of the Mallard-Larkins area contain many small, swampy areas and fern beds that are ideal as calfing grounds and fall mating grounds for the elk herds. The soil is very fragile in a large percentage of the Mallard-Larkin area. The bulldozing and logging of this area would be very detrimental as it would dry up most of the small, swampy areas thus killing out the fern beds thereby severely impacting the wildlife by destroying the calfing and fall mating grounds. Any roads downhill from the ridges would cause excessive silting of the streams and lakes due to the nature of the soils which are of a very fine consistency therefore reducing the fisheries because of the silting of the spawning beds in the streams. I therefore recommend the Mallard-Larkin Pioneer area, approximately 200,000 acres, be included in the wilderness system including the areas from Beaver Creek to Bad Bear Peak, Junction Point to Bathtub Mountain, Pineapple Peak across to Forage Mountain down to Adair Creek then to the Gold Center Road to Jug Camp on the Goat Mountain thence to Crescendo Peak to Getaway Point and then to the North Fork of the Clearwater River. You would think that something could be worked out between locking areas up in wilderness and developing an area's resources with recklessness than leaving it, could be found. However, having seen the future plans of the U.S. Forest Service for this area after the RARE II studies and the lack of concern for wildlife and wildlife habitat, the penchant for clear cutting and excessive roading with the stated object of putting in enough roads so this area would never be considered for any type of wilderness at any time in the future there is no choice but to consider this area be recommended to be included into the Idaho wilderness system. The language of any bill considered by this committee should be as such that possibly various areas could be considered and possibly added to the wilderness system in the future. Thank you.