Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

IDAHO Dr. Crooks. Thank you, Senator McClure. First, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Bob Crooks. I'm a physician in Bonners Ferry. I have been for 7 years. I'm also a member of the board of directors of the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce. There are many reasons I chose to locate my practice in Bonners Ferry. But paramount among them were north Idaho's exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities and, more specifically, Boundary County's exceptional back country. During the time I ve spent in Bonners Ferry, I've been involved in recruiting four additional physicians for our community. And I know it was what north Idaho had to offer, not her booming economy, which allowed us to fill our medical needs. There are many less fortunate parts of the country where there are health care shortages. I suspect that many physicians move to north Idaho for similar reasons because they were attracted by the back country recreational opportunities available here. I've included a copy of a letter I wrote to all the physicians who have moved to Boundary, Bonner, 348 Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties in the past 10 years. Seventy-four percent of the physicians responded to my survey. And of those, 92 percent said that back country recreational opportunities were significant factors in choosing north Idaho to establish their practice. Furthermore, 94 percent said that they would like to see a wilderness area established in north Idaho. In the broader sense, I think the message is that we need to preserve that which makes north Idaho an attractive place to live guaranteeing that we will continue to be able to recruit people who can provide essential community services. The Selkirk Crest and Long Canyon, in my opinion, are wilderness-quality areas. The addition of these areas to our National Wilderness System would not adversely impact our local economy or schools in a significant manner. The preservation of these areas benefits our community in many ways including those I've mentioned. I urge you to invest in north Idaho's future, to preserve her calling card, and include Long Canyon and the Selkirk Crest in your wilderness bill. Thank you.